


To Be Remembered

by IAmAllYetNotAtAll



Series: Remembering [2]
Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-12 13:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17468087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmAllYetNotAtAll/pseuds/IAmAllYetNotAtAll
Summary: Two years after waking up and finding himself to be, literally, the only person to remember the end of the universe, Peter Parker is starting to feel a little more alright in his skin.Wade Wilson comes to New York on a mission and maybe he'll find himself feeling a lot more alright.Queue fluff, Irondad, Spideypool, the return of the Avengers, and what the world wants to know... What happened to Spider-Man?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Here is part two of my series, please enjoy the first chapter!
> 
> F.Y.I - Peter is nineteen in this story, Wade is of an undisclosed age. I personally don't mind imagining Tom Holland as he's in his early twenties, but if you prefer another Spidey, I don't provide a physical description and you can imagine him however you like!
> 
> Also, I don't specify if Tony is in a relationship with Pepper, so if you want to imagine potential Tony/Stephen in this, you're more than welcome to. I love both so I didn't choose.
> 
> Also-also, I'm not really good with puns... oops? You won't find a lot of them in the story because my brain just doesn't work that way. I try to be as accurate in the character behaviours, but I'm afraid I can't do either Peter or Wade justice. I hope you appreciate my attempt. And I know nothing about New York; I apologize in advance for anything that seems weird or inaccurate.
> 
> Cheers :)

Peter was walking home from the park with Lilo when he overheard an odd disturbance in an alley he was approaching. It was loud enough he was sure anybody could have heard it, but everyone around him simply kept on their own paths.

He stopped in front of the alley's opening to peer inside.

Despite having left the spider suit behind, he still had enhanced abilities and had no concerns about his personal safety.

A crook he'd put in jail several years ago for carjacking was pressed up against the wall by a tall man covered in a red and black suit. Peter spotted the guns at his sides and the katanas strapped to his back and took a cautious step back.

He watched, at first, to understand what was going on, but it seemed he'd already interrupted the moment.

"Come on, man, I just wann-" The man turned his face towards him, the white eyes on his red mask widening. "O. M. G. That dog is so cute!"

He let go of the crook who hastily ran off toward the other end of the alley and disappeared around the corner.

The masked man approached him, pulling a glove off revealing a scarred hand. His voice was a low timber with a heightened pitch from excitement, "Please tell me I can pet the dog, please, please, please."

"Um. Yeah. Sure." Peter froze and stared as the man bent down in front of Lilo and scratched behind her ears in a way that had her tongue sticking out of her mouth.

Peter trusted a dog's instincts and if she had no concerns, he wasn't worried about the strange man giving her a pet, but the crazy amount of weapons was still a huge red flag on the _this is bad_ meter.

"My name's Deadpool. Well, it's Wade, actually, but with the mask on it's Deadpool. Puts a lot more fear in men's hearts than 'Wade'. Your dog is cute."

"So you've said."

The man, Wade apparently, stood and slipped on his glove. Peter was pretty sure there was a grin under his mask. "No need to be jealous, you're plenty cute yourself."

Peter had nothing to say to that comment and simply pointed down the road, "I should, uh. I gotta go. Bye."

He walked away and ignored his cry of, "hate to see you leave, but love to watch you go!"

A few buildings down, he pulled out his phone and called the person on his second speed dial option. It rang twice.

"What's up, kiddo?"

"Hey, Mr. Stark. Dunno what to make of this, but thought you'd want to know. On Twelfth Avenue, next to the laundromat close to Bush Street, there was this guy in a costume and he had a bunch of weapons on him. He didn't look like he was going to hurt anyone, but... Actually, it did look like he was threatening this other guy before he ran off."

"Can you describe him to me?"

"Um, he's tall. He was wearing this red and black costume with a mask. He had guns and swords on him and his hand was scarred. Like maybe fire burns? I'm not sure. Oh, he said he was called Deadpool. Or Wade."

"Could have started with that, Peter," Tony chuckled, "Alright, I know who that asshole is. I'll take care of it, just make your way home."

"Is he a threat? He was really nice to Lilo."

"Forget you ever even met him. And Pete, I mean it, okay? Just come home."

"Alright, alright, be there in a bit."

He was living at the Tower permanently now while going to college three days out of the week. After graduating from high school with honors, MIT was more than happy to have him even if it was as a part-time student. He was on a condensed schedule that worked for him, even managing to slip in extra classes that could be done from home.

Lilo guided them back and they rode the elevator up to their floor. He set her leash aside and wandered to the kitchen for a snack. They'd gotten better at keeping the fridge stocked and he was able to make himself a ham and cheese sandwich that he ate in front of the tv with Lilo laying by his feet.

He was planning on doing homework, but the moment he stood to get his bag, outside the window he saw one of the Iron Man suits flying toward the building with the costumed man in its arms. That was obviously the more interesting thing happening and ignoring his work and Tony's earlier words, he took the elevator up to where he knew the suit would land.

The doors opened and he wandered down the hall. He could already hear Tony speaking with Deadpool and listened in.

"For some reason, there isn't an arrest warrant out for you, but that doesn't mean I have to tolerate you being in this city."

"I won't be here long, pinky promise. I just need to find someone and then I'll be out of your hair."

"Not happening. You're outta here now."

Peter opened the door and poked his head inside. They were in an open hangar where a few of the Iron Legion suits were encased in the walls waiting for some otherworldly disaster. Or to save Peter's ass when Tony wasn't around to do it himself. Whichever happened first.

"That better not be you, Peter!" Tony called out without turning around towards the door.

Wade spotted him over Tony's shoulder and waved enthusiastically, "Hello cuties! Long time no see."

He approached them and Lilo bounded ahead to get a pet from Tony who was her second favourite human after Peter because he would sneak her food under the table and give her extra treats if she took good care of her master.

"Unless you need something, you're to go back to our floor. I don't want you within 50 feet of this idiot."

Peter returned Wade's wave because he apparently wouldn't stop until he did, and asked, "But why?" He stopped next to Tony and stared at the stranger.

There was something oddly endearing about him, though Peter couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was the unrestrained excitement or the blatant flirting, and aside from the weapons on his person, he couldn't see a reason to be _that_ worried about him.

"Peter," Tony said his name as a warning and didn't add anything to it.

"Can I pet the doggo?" Wade asked, already pulling off a glove.

"Sure," with a gesture from Peter, Lilo went closer to him to be pet some more.

Wade crouched down and gave her a very thorough petting, and Peter smiled warmly at the sight.

He didn't notice Tony's frown.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. You're leaving. One of the suits is going to drop you off in New Jersey and then you go West from there. I don't care where you go, just make sure it isn't anywhere near here. Understood? Good. Glad we're on the same page. Friday?"

"Yes, Boss."

One of the cases on the wall opened and a suit flew out.

"Oh, come on! Don't be a dick," Wade stood up and slipped on his glove, "Just give me a few days!"

"What are you looking for?" Peter asked curiously.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Petey," Wade deflected the question and there was no room for further conversation as the suit landed behind him, picked him up beneath the armpits, and carried him out of the open hangar. "Bye bye, Petey-pie!"

By the time he started cursing out Iron Man for 'ruining his fun', he was too far for Tony to hear. Peter ignored it in favour of turning an innocent smile towards Tony. He, in turn, stared back completely unimpressed.

"Really, Peter? You had to come up here?"

"I was curious!"

"Sure. Would you like a hundred reasons why you need to stay away from Deadpool? Because I think you need a list. Let's start with..." Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulders and started guiding them back down to their floor. In the meantime, he pulled out his phone in his other hand and _Wade Winston Wilson_ 's profile lept out from the screen. "He's clinically insane. Has an arrest warrant out for him in 37 countries, none ours for some reason. Carries around live grenades because he wants to. He literally gets paid to murder people."

Peter read the screen, which was scrolling through a list of people that Deadpool had apparently killed, and unhelpfully pointed out, "Those guys are from that child trafficking ring in Singapore that was taken down, aren't they?" He remembered the story; a few dozen men found murdered in an office building, bullet wounds and body parts strewn about.

"Yes, but that's not the point."

Having seen Deadpool in person, it made a lot of sense that he'd been the person behind the massacre.

Spider-Man had never killed, and Peter Parker didn't believe in that, but the Avengers weren't guilt-free themselves and there was a difference between going after the innocent for fun or taking out horrible people because no one else would.

He'd never tell Wade that what he'd done was right, but neither would he judge him solely on it.

"On top of all that, he's too old for you."

" _Mr. Stark_!"

It wasn't that easy getting rid of Deadpool. A couple of days later, while taking Lilo out for her walk, Peter found himself face to face with the masked vigilante once more. He jumped off a building next to him and landed face first on the asphalt, but it caught his attention well enough.

Peter helped him stand and watched in morbid fascination as his broken legs reset themselves instantly.

"Um."

"Daddy Stark didn't tell you? Got me a wicked healing factor."

"Oh. That wasn't on the list." Wade's head tilted in confusion and Peter moved on quickly, "Are you alright?"

"Yup! Fine and dandy. Was hoping to drop in on your fine self."

"Really?" Peter tried not to be flattered by the weird stalkerish nature of that and asked, "How did you know I'd be here?"

"This is where you were last time."

"Oh. Right." Looking up at the nearest street sign, that was, in fact, true, "Mr. Stark won't be happy to know you're still in New York."

"Are you gonna out me again, Petey-pie?"

"It's Peter. And I don't see why I shouldn't."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Wade placed his hands in front of his chest in a praying gesture, "I promise to behave."

"Well... why were you looking for me?"

"My first lead was a dud, so I was hoping to eat out my feelings with food from a grease pit and thought, you know who looks like they'd enjoy eating garbage? Petey does. So, how about it?"

He stared at him for a moment and then smartly said, "I, uh, don't have any money on me. Not that I have any money at all. My net-worth is negative 5 dollars because my friend bought me a burger the other day."

The mask blinked, which was really weird seeing even though Peter knew the Spider suit did the same thing.

"Isn't your dad a bazillionaire?" He asked sounding genuinely curious.

"My dad's dead," Peter said, again lacking any brain to mouth filter. Well, if Wade was asking him out on a date he was definitely about to change his mind about it.

"Wow, didn't know you could be that harsh. What did he do? I mean, he can be a bit of a dick but you two looked pretty cozy the other day."

It clicked.

"Oh! No, Mr. Stark isn't my dad-"

"I thought it was weird you called him Mr. Stark-"

"He's like, my mentor. It's complicated. Um. Anyway."

"My treat. Me, you, doggo, and disgustingly greasy pizza. What do you say?"

Peter smiled softly, "Sure, that sounds fun. But, um," he waved at Lilo. She wasn't wearing the vest that identified her as a service animal; he rarely had her wear it since that information felt personal, and he had the identification card in his dusty wallet, but that wasn't something he thought Wade needed to know right now.

To anyone else, she was just his dog.

"People don't tend to ask questions when I'm around." Wade started walking down the street and Peter and Lilo followed. They were headed to a part of town he never went to out of the suit for obvious reasons, but everyone steered clear of the man with the swords and Peter felt safe.

"I feel like people would have more questions when you're around."

Wade laughed. They chatted all the way to the little hole in the wall that served them a large pizza that soaked through the box it came in. No one looked twice in their direction and Lilo sat next to his feet. He gave her a piece of crust beneath the table. He was a little surprised that there wasn't anyone in the room he'd had a hand in getting arrested.

He had a pretty good memory for criminal faces

When Wade lifted his mask up to his nose to eat, he spotted the same scars that littered his hands over the rest of the visible skin. He didn't ask about it and it wasn't shared.

They talked about nothing important, video games and movies, celebrities and memes. Tony might have an aneurism to know how much they had in common.

It was still the middle of the day and the sun was bright outside, Peter was comfortable and a little enamoured. Lilo seemed to feel the same, tail wagging and hitting the side of his chair at the sound of Wade's laughter. Unfortunately, in his comfort, he'd forgotten to tell an overprotective someone he'd be home a little later than expected.

His phone rang and he fumbled to pull it out of his pocket. Of course it would be Tony, who had expected him home a half hour ago.

"Hello!" He greeted cheerfully. Wade mimed zipping his mouth shut and throwing away the key.

"What the hell are you doing all the way out there? I'm sending Happy to pick you up, try not to get stabbed in the meantime."

"What? No, I'm fine! I'm having lunch."

"Lunch? Peter, that area is a nesting ground for crime and I know you know that."

"Relax, Mr. Stark, I'm finishing up and then I'll be on my way home. Lilo's with me, I'll be safe."

"Do we need to have another lesson on personal safety?"

Peter rolled his eyes, "I'll see you later. Bye!"

He hung up before Tony could say anything further.

Wade laughed, "You sure he's not your dad?"

He shook his head and smiled, "He definitely acts like it sometimes, but he just cares, that's all."

"Suuure."

"Shut up," Peter said, "Now, are you going to tell me what's so important in New York that you just can't keep away?"

"Can't tell the Iron Douche, okay? I know he has the info I'm looking for but he'll never give it to me and I don't want him trying to stop me. That'd be an exhausting detour."

"As long as you aren't looking to hurt anybody, I can keep a secret."

"Alright, I suppose with a face like that I gotta trust you. I'm looking for Spider-Man."

Peter was really glad he wasn't eating or drinking his soda, as he would have definitely either choked or spat it out in shock. His lips parted and all he could say was, "Ah." He couldn't absorb the information, stuck on the name 'Spider-Man' coming out of someone else's mouth for what felt like the first time in years. Two years, actually.

"And I know he's been MIA for a couple of years now, but his home base was always Queens so he's gotta be around here somewhere."

He managed to move his lips into another word, "Why?"

"Why? Well, Petey, where to start? Spider-Man is the pinnacle of superhero-dom. The creme de la creme, the cream of the crop. If I had to choose between Spider-Man and the Universe, I'd choose Spider-Man."

"Um, that doesn't really tell me why," Peter managed to say.

For Wade to flirt with regular, plain-old Peter, and then to show such admiration...? Adoration? For his superhero self was a lot to take in in one day. The slice of pizza he was holding loosely was dripping grease down his hand. He didn't notice.

Wade shifted, as if out of discomfort but Peter didn't know if he was capable of that feeling. He always seemed so assured about everything.

"It's a long story, but really I just wanted to meet him." He sounded hesitant and Peter decided not to push.

"I see, um, well, like you said. He's been missing for at least two years now, I really don't think you'll find him." The suit was growing dusty.

"I'm not known for giving up, cutie." Wade winked, "I'll find a way."

He couldn't think of anything else to say that didn't include outing himself and he remained silent. He drew the pizza to his mouth and took a bite.

"But just because I'm Spidey's number one fanboy doesn't mean you can't be my favourite too."

Not missing a chance to be a smartass, he spoke around his food, "I'm pretty sure the definition of a favourite states that there's only one."

"Awe, don't be jelly, Pumpkin. You might be my new favourite after date number three."

"Wade!" Peter hoped he wasn't blushing. He was definitely blushing. Wade winked and he kind of wanted to punch him and also kind of not.

"Well, daddy calls and midnight tolls, so let's get you home before you turn into a pumpkin."

"The carriage was the pumpkin, not Cinderella."

"Disney fan? Maybe you'll outrank Spidey before date number three after all."

"I'm leaving now." Peter stood, "Thanks for lunch."

"Can I walk you home? Or as close to home as I can get without being shot."

Peter laughed softly at the image that produced; Tony Stark cocking a shotgun and threatening Wade, Peter next to him begging him not to shoot in the typical daughter in distress style of 80s television. Shaking his head he dispelled the weird picture. He leaned down and picked up Lilo's leash. "Sure, but I can't promise you won't be shot."

"That's a chance I'm willing to take to make sure this cutie gets home safe." Wade bent down and pet her.

"Her name's Lilo, by the way. I don't think I told you."

"You never introduced yourself either," Wade pointed out. "Got your name from Daddy Stark."

"Please never call him that again. And I'm Peter Parker."

"Alliteration buddies. We're a match made in heaven." Wade rolled down his mask and stood. The two walked out of the dingy pizza place without anyone's eyes on them.

The invisibility that came with being with someone visibly dangerous was a unique experience; Peter wouldn't say he minded.

"I can't say I know much about Stark, but I never took him as someone that liked kids. When did you end up in the picture? I mean, you live with him, right?"

"I do. It's... complicated. I was, I guess I still am, his intern. I work with him on... things. Everything." He tried to explain but ended up repeating, "It's complicated."

"That's alright. I get daddy issues. And mommy issues. I have a lot of issues. I can understand a lot of things."

That was a worrying revelation, but from what he'd read of his profile, not particularly surprising.

They took the back alleys and roads back to the Tower, or a block away where Wade thought it safe to part from him. He gave Lilo a pet and when standing up straight stood a little too close for Peter's comfort.

"I, uh, should get going. I can already feel a lecture coming on and I don't want to make it worse." Peter looked up at him, knowing his cheeks were flushed and not paying it any mind. Wade smelt like gun powder and he kind of liked it.

"Sure, cutie. You go on in before you get grounded. But first," Wade pulled his phone out of one of his suit's many pockets, unlocked it, and held it out for Peter, "I don't mind waiting at that corner for you to show up, but planning a second date might be easier if I had your number."

Peter couldn't help the giggle that escaped. He took the phone, glittery pink with a Hello Kitty pop on the back, and input his phone number, texting himself quickly. He handed it back to Wade when he was finished.

"I'll see you later." He moved to the tip of his toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He waved and turned around, walking towards the Tower and forcing himself not to look back.

Ignoring Tony's lecture was particularly easy that day. He hoped he didn't know about Wade, but there was nothing to indicate he had any suspicions. There was no way he was going to tell him he was in the city, or that they'd had a date, or that Deadpool was looking for Spider-Man. That had bad news written all over it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I'm almost done chapter 4 and I just couldn't help myself and had to give you guys a little more. I'm having such a blast writing this and seeing the positive response is so crazy and makes me so happy.
> 
> F.Y.I - Nyctophobia = fear of the dark.
> 
> Please enjoy :)

Their second date was a tad more formal. Peter added him as a contact under ' _DP_ ' hoping that Karen, programmed into his phone, wouldn't connect the dots or tell on him if she did. They arranged to meet at a Mexican place in another dingy part of town for lunch.

Peter couldn't do dinner, scared that the hours might pass him by as they had on their lunch together and that the day might turn dark without him realizing it.

He'd made a lot of progress in the last two years, but the night sky was another beast to deal with.

He left Lilo behind because he couldn't explain bringing her. Tony was off at a conference in California leaving Pepper to keep an eye on him. May was no longer staying at the Tower as often, coming by for the occasional family dinner or to hang out on one of her days off.

He told Pepper he was going to spend time with a friend and asked if she could take care of Lilo for him. She didn't question him as Tony would have and let him go with only a reminder to make sure he wore his watch.

It was a gift from Tony and was equipped with Karen and an alert system that would trigger if anything happened. If he were to start exhibiting signs of a panic attack or anything worse, the watch would send an alert for someone to come get him from wherever he was, should it be school or on an errand.

It was a nice watch. Brown leather strap, gold face. The watch's hands were red and blue in a reminder of his dusty suit. Tony didn't mean any harm by it, but Peter never used it to tell the time.

They ate tacos on Wade's dime and Peter wondered if everyone felt this way on date number two. It had been a long time since anyone understood him the way Wade did; jokes, puns, and all.

"Thanks for lunch, Wade. This was really fun."

He felt shy, all of a sudden, but his hands still reached out boldly to roll up his mask. Wade was unusually still as if anticipating the worse. He'd already seen the scars that adorned his skin and Peter was unbothered by it. His hands rested on his cheeks and he moved to the tip of his toes to press their lips together in a gentle kiss.

One that wouldn't lead to anything, but that meant everything all at once.

Wade didn't have time to do much other than return it briefly before Peter was pulling back with an infatuated smile.

"I'll see you."

Back in the Tower, he greeted Pepper briefly, hoping she wouldn't see what had happened from the look on his face, and Lilo returned to his side where she belonged. He went to his room and laid across the bed face down and Lilo sat next to the bed watching him.

He must have stayed there immobile for a few minutes, because Friday asked, "Are you alright, Peter?"

He rolled to his side to speak and came face to face with Lilo. It was like she was staring into his soul and he covered his face with his hands. His lips stretched into a stupidly giddy smile.

"I'm fine, Friday."

"Are you... happy?"

Peter laughed. The AI couldn't understand his actions and sounded confused. He was glad the only people around to judge him were a robot and a dog.

"I'm very, very, very happy, Friday."

"That's good to hear. Would you like me to alert the boss of your condition?"

"You don't need to let him know every time I'm happy! That's a bit overboard don't you think?"

"My apologies, Peter. I will store the information."

He shook his head at the behaviour of the AI Tony had programmed. He rolled onto his back and pat the bed for Lilo to join him. She lay next to him and put her head on his stomach, rising up and down with each breath. Monitoring his breathing was a part of her training.

His fingers touched his lips, feeling the ghost of another pair against it still.

It wasn't his first kiss, but it felt like the first one that meant something. That held potential.

Tony wasn't going to like it, but Peter knew he was going to have to tell him sooner rather than later because he was pretty certain Wade was going to become a more permanent fixture in his life. He would keep quiet about the Spider-Man thing. That was a conversation that wouldn't go over well no matter how he put it.

Date three did not go as Wade insinuated, but there was no pressure for it and Peter, initially a little nervous, was assuaged when they parted with another kiss and a smile.

Dates four and five went similarly.

Peter made excuses to avoid dinner plans but would bring up ideas for breakfast or lunch, or something to do during the day. Luckily Tony was away long enough that he wasn't around to question him leaving Lilo behind every time.

A few days later, he returned from his string of conferences grumpy but happy to be home. When Wade invited him over to play video games, Peter readily agreed, though was now faced with having to tell Tony.

There was no walking out of the Tower without him knowing about it, and he'd catch on quickly enough that Lilo wasn't with him. If he simply left, he'd be getting a call within the next half hour ordering him to come home or Tony insisting he bring Lilo to him. He meant well, Peter knew that, but without an explanation, he wasn't going to take it well.

"I'm going out for a bit. I'm leaving Lilo behind; she's on our floor. She's just gone out so should be good until I get back," Peter said after popping into Tony's office, a room barely used next to his main lab. There were a lot of filled out journals from his earlier research and his father's. There was also a comfortable chair and desk lined with paperwork he needed to sign before Pepper took one of his blasters and shot him in the face.

Tony looked up at him with a frown, "Why would you leave her here?"

"I, uh..." Peter hesitated. Tony waited. "Have a date."

"Oh," his frown fell away and he looked curious, "with who?"

Somehow, he hadn't expected to be asked so directly and he stuttered his words with nothing sensical coming out.

A raised eyebrow egged him on and he mumbled a response.

"Didn't quite catch that."

Peter got closer to the desk and repeated himself while avoiding his gaze, "Wade."

Tony's face went through a series of emotions and settled on anger, "Are you fucking kidding me, Peter?"

He shifted from one foot to the other and still refused to look up, only watching his mentor out of the corner of his eye. He said nothing for fear he'd only make it worse.

"Did everything I tell you about him go in one ear and out the other? The guy is completely psychotic. What are you _thinking_?!"

"I like him," Peter lifted his head and said with as much confidence as he could muster, "A lot."

"That's not enough." Tony stood and walked around the desk to stand in front of Peter, "Is this a rebellion thing? Did I do something to piss you off?"

"What? No! It's nothing like that. I really like him, and I think he likes me too. I know he's done a lot of horrible things, but a lot of people have. That doesn't mean they can never change or become better people. He hasn't done anything wrong since being in New York."

When Tony only stared at him, he kept talking, "It's been nice. I haven't felt like this... ever, I think. We've only gone out a few times, but he's been really good to me."

"And you're sure this isn't to give me a heart attack?"

"Mr. Stark," Peter said with exasperation, "I promise this isn't some sort of rebellion thing. I'm not mad at anybody. I think if you gave him a chance, maybe you'd see what I see."

"And he hasn't pressured you, or-"

"No, he's been a perfect gentleman. Well. I mean, he doesn't bite his tongue, but that's kind of part of his charm."

"I'm going to ignore that," Tony sighed, "Alright, I'll trust your judgment on this one even though I don't want to. And you tell Wilson that if he so much as looks at you wrong, I'm going to chop him into bits and then launch him into the sun. Got it?"

Peter's lips quirked into a smile, "Got it. I'll be home before dinner."

He went to turn but Tony stopped him, "But! None of this explains why you're leaving Lilo behind."

His smile fell and he admitted, "He, uh, doesn't know she's a service dog. It'd be weird to just bring her everywhere."

"Oh, Peter... that's not something you should be embarrassed about. You have her because she helps you, and I hate to say it, but if anyone would understand that it'd be Wilson."

"Maybe... maybe another time..."

"Have you been going out without her a lot?"

"Just to see Wade. It's been going well so far."

"Alright, then. Go on to your date, I'll take care of Lilo. If you need me or need a lift home or something, give me a call. I'm not going anywhere."

"Thanks, Mr. Stark."

He chose not to pass along the message about being launched into the sun to Wade but did tell him about his conversation with Tony over a few rounds of _Mortal Kombat_.

"Are you telling me I got Iron Dad's blessing to put a ring on it?" Wade placed his hands on his cheeks, dropping the controller on his lap giving Peter the opportunity to mutilate his character and get the win.

"I wouldn't go that far," he said with a laugh, "but he's not going to kick you out of the city again. For now, anyway."

"I promise I've been behaving. I've even put rubber bullets in the guns just in case I get trigger happy."

Peter ignored the warmth that spread through him because he was pretty certain that shouldn't make him happy. His life had gone weird after being bitten by a radioactive spider, and weirder after being stuck in a stone for two years, but at least Wade's level of weird was his own choice.

Wade took up the controller and they started another round.

His gloves were off for maximum gameage, and he'd removed the weapons for comfort and easier cuddling, but Wade still remained in his costume with his mask pulled down to his nose, leaving his mouth clear to eat the snacks he'd placed out for them. Peter didn't understand why he insisted on staying in his suit but chose not to ask about it.

"I have a reputation to uphold, so don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're cute."

"I wouldn't want you to. It'll be much more satisfying to kick your ass when you're trying."

They continued to play for a best out of three and then a best out of five, and then nine because Peter was too competitive to accept a loss. Wade cheered obnoxiously after each win and on the last one, Peter chose to shut him up with a kiss. At least in this, he could get the upper hand.

He slipped his fingers under his mask and removed it slowly, giving Wade time to stop him if he wanted to. Their controllers fell to the floor; the _Mortal Kombat_ theme song looped in the background. Wade pulled him into his lap and he followed along smoothly. His hands held onto his waist, grip tight and firm. Peter felt the heat of his touch spread through him, the butterflies in his stomach fluttering happily.

Neither noticed as time slipped by. They had shuffled around into a comfortable position where Peter was laying squished between Wade and the sofa, their legs tangled together and his grip tight on his costume. Their lips parted and Wade moved down to kiss his neck.

Peter's lips tingled. He was breathless. His head tilted back and his eyes opened. The room held a faint orange glow from dusk and his heart leaped to his throat.

He sat up, pushing Wade along with him.

"You alright, Petey?"

"I-I, uh, I..." he stumbled over his words, panic settling in. Nothing was happening, nothing was wrong, but the sight of the ending day had his heart wildly beating irrationally. His hands shook and Wade took them in his and rubbed his thumb over his wrists.

"It's okay, everything's okay." Wade slid a bit further away to give him more room to breathe, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, it's... I'm stupid, it's stupid. I'm fine. I-I... I should go." Peter stood from the couch, their hands still clasped together. He forced a smile, squeezed his hands to try and reassure him, and then he fled from his apartment feeling embarrassed and anxious.

His back hit the wall behind the apartment building with a thud and his legs gave out beneath him. He put his head between his knees as he'd been taught and took several deep breaths. His fingers curled into his hair and pulled in frustration, tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

He hated this feeling, hated himself for being weak enough to succumb to it.

His heart beat erratically, his stomach was knotted. His lips were dry and his tongue felt like cotton. A wave of nausea washed over him.

All he could think about was going home.

A warmth settled over his shoulders and he glanced to the side to see a familiar red fabric. He looked up and there stood Stephen, hands crossed over his chest and face soft. Peter tried to smile; it came out shaky at best.

Stephen knelt by him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Stark said there was an alert from the watch. We thought you might prefer a quick trip home. Are you okay to stand?"

Peter nodded and stood, letting the cloak wrap around him in comfort.

"Thanks, Dr. Strange. I hope I didn't interrupt anything." His hand reached out and held on Stephen's sleeve. He didn't notice he'd done it. He never did.

A portal opened and Stephen guided Peter through it; they ended up in the living room where Tony and Lilo were waiting for them. The room was bright and it helped to push away the darkness creeping into the edge of his vision and the little spots of light floating around.

Tony was quiet and only opened his arms, letting Peter fall into the hug he needed. Stephen looked down at Lilo, confused why she hadn't been with Peter, but Tony mouthed over his shoulder ' _later_ ' and knew to expect a call with further details.

"Thanks, Strange."

Stephen nodded in acknowledgment and opened himself a portal home. Peter was in the right hands and the cloak would stay the night, just in case.

Tony and Peter stood in their hug for a while longer and then Peter pulled back, not meeting his gaze.

"M'sorry."

"It's alright. Do you want to talk about it?" Tony lead them to the couch and had Peter sit down. Lilo placed her head in his lap and he pet her behind the ears. She was watching him carefully, waiting for signs of trouble.

"Wade didn't do anything wrong," Peter said to defend him, "I just... I lost track of time and then it was getting dark and I freaked. That's all it was."

His hands were still shaking, but the anxiety was ebbing away slowly. His breaths were becoming more regular. He licked his dry lips and shakily said, "God, I ran off like an idiot, he probably thinks I'm some sort of freak."

Not deeming that worth a reply, Tony reached into Peter's pocket and pulled out his phone. He turned on the screen to display a series of missed texts from the contact ' _DP_ ' that took little brainwork to discern who it was.

Peter grabbed his phone, unlocked it, and read through the messages. They were full of concern; all Wade cared to know was if he was safe. The first one read, ' _Do you need me to call someone?_ ' and the last one read, ' _Are you going to make it home alright?_ '.

"Oh..." His heart warmed from the genuine concern coming from the other end. He replied to keep Wade from worrying further and looked up at Tony who was watching him with a fond smile.

"How are you feeling now, kiddo?"

Peter set the phone on his lap and pet Lilo to ground himself, "Better than a few minutes ago." He knew Tony was watching him like a hawk and monitoring his symptoms; he probably had a pretty good idea how he was feeling.

"You sure about that?"

He leaned into his side and his eyes slipped to the blackout curtains pulled closed on all of the windows. Inside the Tower, there was hardly a sense of time. It was the way Peter needed it, for now. Even if it made him feel like some sort of Disney princess with a curse, only this one wouldn't be broken with a kiss.

"I don't know how to fix this. I've gotten better, but this..." There had been so much progress in the past two years, on so many levels, but the thought alone of being shrouded in darkness with only stars to guide him made him feel like he was about to throw up. Or slip into the worst panic attack of his life.

"Like everything else, this is just another obstacle. And there isn't an obstacle we can't overcome together, right?"

Peter smiled, "Right."

"Of course, you know I've looked into this. If you're ready, we can meet with a therapist. Nyctophobia isn't uncommon and something that any good therapist knows how to handle. We can help build a plan to overcome this."

It wasn't the first time it was brought up, but he hadn't been ready for it before. Before he'd focused on getting the courage to leave his bedroom and his home without the safety of an adult.

"I think I'm ready to do that."

Tony nodded, "Then I'll make some calls. But for now, if you're sure this-" he gestures to the phone, "isn't to shorten my life span, you might want to rethink not taking Lilo out with you."

"I'll think about it." He yawned.

"Want to take a nap and I'll make us some dinner?"

"Mm." They had done the talking and now the fatigue of going through the height of anxiety was crashing down on him.

Tony stood and gently repositioned Peter into a laying position, placing a throw pillow beneath his head. Lilo curled at the bottom of the couch and laid her head on one of his feet. As he was walking away, Peter mumbled sleepily, "Thanks, da - Mr. Stark. God damn it, Wade."

He chuckled to himself and pretended not to hear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Lilo is a play off Lilo & Stitch - when thinking of a doggo name that was the first thing that came to mind and I loved it instantly. I hope you all love it too :)
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts on this first chapter, even if its just a few words it means the world. This is a fandom I don't have much experience in and I take every comment to heart. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to put this out yesterday but weirdo internet issues. But finally, here we go. Chapter four turned out to be a bit of a long one, so wanted to make sure it was done before putting out chapter three.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

In the morning, he texted Wade to meet him for coffee. Tony handed him money because Peter had less than zero dollars to his name which he considered one of his character traits. He chose Starbucks, craving a sugary latte. Wade wasted no time in responding and they set an early date.

Chattering and the scent of freshly ground coffee washed over him the moment he stepped through the doors. He stopped at the counter to get a drink for himself and for Wade, who was waiting for him in the back of the store.

He took the seat opposite him and with a whispered command Lilo sat by his chair, gazing up at him with a wagging tail and red service vest strapped proudly to her chest.

"Hi," he greeted softly, gaze searching. It was getting easier to understand the facial expressions by the pull of the mask, but Peter hadn't yet quite perfected it.

"Hey, baby boy," Wade went to remove his glove, and hesitated, "Is she on or off duty right now?"

"For you, she's off duty." Not a lot of people thought to ask, even with the vest. He fondly watched him pet Lilo. He went straight into what he needed to say, "I'm, uh, sorry. About yesterday."

Wade pulled back from Lilo and smiled, "Don't worry your pretty face about it. I'm a lot of things but not a hypocrite. I got plenty issues of my own. Can you tell me what triggered it, so I don't do it again?"

"It wasn't anything you did. I..." his shoulders slumped, "It's the dark. I don't do well at night."

His lips formed an ' _o_ ' shape as realization dawned on him. "Gotcha. I can't say I'm the best listener, but I promise to try if you want to talk about it."

"It's complicated. And I mean that honestly. That's why I have Lilo, she helps with all of... that."

"You should bring her. Next time, I mean. To my place or wherever we go."

"You won't mind?"

"Nah. Look at that face, if I had even an inch of responsibility in my blood I'd steal her for myself."

That wasn't how measurement worked, but Peter accepted the response with a smile. With Wade's easy understanding and willingness to move on without pushing, they changed the topic to something more familiar and easygoing. They finished their drinks and ordered more, unwilling to part yet.

It was still mid-day and after the second drink, Wade asked, "Wanna go to the park? Toss around some balls?"

"I'm down for that."

They left the Starbucks with caffeine in their veins and Lilo guiding them along. Wade was humming a song from _Mary Poppins_ and cutting himself off every so often to tell Peter a story about Deadpool's many wondrous adventures. Wade's words.

He also insisted on stopping at home first, where he left Peter and Lilo in the doorway and disappeared in his room for a couple of minutes. His apartment was a mess of takeout containers, miscellaneous weapons, strewn about clothes, and the occasional blood stains. It had a boyish charm to it that Peter liked; other than Tony's labs and his own bedroom, the Tower was always sparkly clean.

Wade stepped out of his room wearing sweatpants and a grey hoodie, hands and face uncovered. Peter was breathless for a moment, eyes roaming over the stretch of muscle and skin visible to him. He knew it was his self-consciousness that had Wade hiding beneath the costume and the mask, but Peter couldn't see how anyone could find him unattractive when his smile could light up the whole room and his eyes were blue enough to dive into.

"Hey," there was discomfort in Wade's tone, likely caused by Peter's staring.

"Hey, yourself." He held his hand out for Wade to take and he smiled, "Ready to go?"

Wade walked forward and grabbed his hand. The other one pulled a tennis ball from who knows where. The returning smile went from self-conscious to cheerful, "Ready!"

Lilo looked up at the ball, hope in her eyes. Wade laughed and handed it to her. She gently took it between her teeth and her tail wagged happily.

When he and Lilo made it back home a couple of hours later, tired and happy, he was just in time for the first appointment with his therapist. Tony had made whatever calls necessary that morning to get him the best therapist in New York, had her sign a non-disclosure agreement, and made arrangements for an appointment that same day.

He knew Peter well enough that with too much time to think about it, he'd change his mind about needing the help.

Tony spoke to her first to discuss the situation with Peter's consent. It was easily agreed between them that Tony was the much better liar and could come up with a plausible source of trauma. He told Isla, the therapist, that Peter had been locked in a dark room for several months; it was enough to explain the reasoning behind his fear with as little detail as possible.

Peter preferred that thought to what had really happened. It would have been nice to have a floor or walls to ground himself. Infinite space was daunting.

They weren't going in there to talk about the _why_ ; the meeting was for the _what now_.

The two went in there together. Peter had no problems with Tony hearing whatever he was going to say, as he already knew more than she ever would, and he'd be as involved in the recovery process as Peter himself.

There was some discussion about him and his life, the progress he'd already made, and then about his experiences with panic attacks, flashbacks, and dissociation. She appeared impressed with the work they'd done so far and it gave Peter a sense of relief that at least he wasn't doing worse than he should be.

It was impossible not to wonder, if someone else had gone through what he had, would they be braver? Would they be more put together? Could they look at the stars and remember the things they'd gone through with pride? All Peter ever felt was fear. Or self-pity. Or doubt; maybe it should have been someone else.

They built a plan. Starting simple and seeing where that would lead.

Recovery was not an overnight process and neither was overcoming a phobia.

Weeks passed in a whirlwind.

There were dates with Wade he looked forward to from the minute they were planned. With more honesty and openness between them than before, there was no avoiding the growth in their relationship. Peter brought him to family dinner regularly; May and Pepper were kind to him and were only mildly discomfited by his brazen attitude.

"Wade, dear, can you please pass the salt?" May didn't realize the value of her words or her casualness, but Peter did, and beneath the table, he hooked his foot with Wade's.

He was surprised that after two years Stephen still made a point of coming to family dinner every week, but he was a fan of tradition and, unless there was something that required his attention, he'd make the time for it. And the cloak got antsy if it didn't see Peter regularly.

Wade was a big, _big_ , fan of the cloak.

"Who do I have to blow to get my hands on a flying cloak?" Stephen didn't deign Wade's question worthy of a response. He did, however, threaten to portal him into the sun if he touched his cloak. Peter wondered what was with the whole ' _throwing Wade into the sun_ ' theme.

Bruce could only join occasionally, having dived headfirst into research with Helen Cho on creating medication for Supers, and he was probably never going to get fully used to Wade's loud personality. He was, on the other hand, making great progress on his research. When there was no helping a teenager sleep because his body would metabolize any medication, a gap was clearly identified and he intended to mend it.

Unable to sleep more than an hour or so at a time, Peter had looked like death for a long few months and there had been no course of actions to take, and as a scientist who wanted to help from the depths of his soul, there was nothing more heartbreaking.

"I, uh, really don't think the Hulk is up for a team up, sorry Deadpool. Wade." He was trying, at least.

As for Rhodey, he came and went. He loved to tease both Peter and Tony mercilessly, asking Tony how he felt about having a mercenary for a son-in-law which caused Peter to blush and only served to encourage Wade. Rhodey kept his opinions about Deadpool to himself because he knew the list of reasons why no one should be near him as well as Tony did, but there was no denying the chemistry and the smitten look in the kid's eyes.

He'd gone through enough without Rhodey trying to rain on his parade, and he knew Tony thought the same.

Wade was doing better though, and that couldn't be ignored.

He had Bad Days, of course, and so did Peter. But when the adrenaline was pulsing through him and his hands were shaking with need, he would take a mission or job out of the country and come back a couple of weeks later feeling refreshed.

Peter never asked for the details. He'd known what he was getting into with Wade.

There were days he couldn't get out of bed, or he'd be at the kitchen table staring blankly at the wall and when he blinked an hour had passed. He wasn't perfect either.

Per the therapist's recommendation, he and Tony sat by an open window to start. They would stare out at the sunset and would close the curtains once the sky would start turning purple. As the days wore on, they stayed beyond that, lasting however many minutes it would take before Peter started feeling breathless. He met with Isla once a week to let her know where he was and how he'd been feeling that week, keeping note of any panic attacks or nightmares.

The flashbacks were rare, nowadays, unless it was a Bad Day. He would still, however, lose track of time every once in a while; it happened often inside the Stone, as a way to keep sane he assumed, and he hadn't yet gotten past it.

One evening, a few weeks later, Tony took him out to the roof to watch the sunset. They sat side by side with a shared blanket wrapped over their shoulders.

The sight was beautiful.

"There's a final meeting next Tuesday to go over the paperwork one last time, but it's pretty much a done deal. We'll be sending word out not long after and if all goes well they'll be here within the next couple of weeks. How do you feel about them staying here temporarily?"

Tony was talking about the ex-Avengers. Who might shortly no longer be ' _ex_ '.

"Doesn't bother me," he said honestly.

He'd outgrown his childhood obsession with them, and having seen and heard of them as normal people, that was how he'd learned to view them. Plus, despite how much he respected them, they had chosen the other side of the battlefield and that was a big deal. He had no opinion on the matter; he was more concerned about Tony.

"What about you? Do you even want them here?"

Tony shrugged, "Not much of a choice. If they agree to review the new Accords, until it's signed their still fugitives. There isn't another place in the world that could contain them as well as the Tower. I know their weaknesses inside and out and the government officials know that. Once they sign, they can go wherever they like."

The countries that had pushed for the Accords had agreed to make amendments to it. After four years with most of earth's mightiest heroes undercover, the world realized what they were missing. Tony could handle a lot of things, but with Thor out in space, Bruce refusing to fight, and Vision often away to meet with Wanda, he found himself on his own too often. He had Rhodey to fight with him sometimes, and Stephen was willing to help on occasion, but there simply wasn't enough hands to handle the enemies targetting the planet and its people.

"That didn't answer the question."

The sun was touching the top of the furthest buildings, pinks and oranges stretching over the blue of the sky.

"I know. They won't be here long, but if you have any problems with it you need to tell me. I don't want you being unhappy in your own home. You're my priority."

"What about your happiness?"

He was feeling a familiar tingle spreading in his blood, a sense long lost. Adrenaline. He wanted to jump off the building and catch himself like he used to.

"I can deal with it for a little while. And who knows, maybe it won't be so bad."

"Do you miss them?"

Tony was quiet. The sun continued to slip further down the horizon with a tinge of purple coming through. He wanted to feel the wind press against him, a reminder of the impossible that he could achieve.

"I suppose I do, sometimes."

"You'll still be the coolest superhero ever." Peter leaned his head on his shoulder and watched the sunset with tired eyes.

"Even cooler than Captain America?"

"Mhm."

"Make sure to tell him that."

"A'ight..."

Tony's cheek pressed against the top of his head and together they watched as the sun hid behind the buildings and disappeared, taking its brightness with it and only leaving them with a dark sky with no stars.

Peter stared, heart yearning. It was a different feeling to what he was used to. He liked it.

He was carted back inside a half hour later when his hands started shaking and his heart began to race wildly. Progress. Slow and steady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the lovely comments, it really means a lot to know people are looking forward to the next chapter.
> 
> Have a super duper day :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, a longer chapter! Chappie five is almost done so I thought I'd put this out for you guys :)
> 
> Please enjoy!

The ex-Avengers returned to the Tower three weeks later. There was a series of meetings to review and go over the new Accords that would last several days and it was Tony's responsibility to watch over them. He gave them a floor in the Tower to stay in and kept mostly to his own quarters.

It was hard coming face first with the people he had fought against so many years before. Bucky was still in Wakanda which was one less thing to worry about, thankfully.

Peter stayed on their floor too, not wanting to run into them on accident without Tony by his side. He'd thought he'd be fine, but knowing they were several feet beneath him made his stomach turn. He pretended for Tony that he was okay because he was taking it worse.

He was the one betrayed after all. Although he tried to say he wasn't, that they'd all been at fault.

"Baby boy, you gotta introduce me to Captain Sexy!" Wade, however, was very excited about having the Avengers all in one place. He was a fan of everyone, apparently.

"Is there a single superhero you don't like?"

"I like and dislike on a wave, sugar. I live unpredictably like a kangaroo. Do I wanna fuck you? Do I wanna stab you? Spin the wheel and bet your life or your orgasm on it! I promise it'll be worth your while." A wink and fingerguns followed his words.

"Well then, I'm not sure I want to introduce you to anybody if that's the case."

Wade whined and Lilo lifted her head at the high pitched sound. They were lazing at his apartment, cuddling on the couch, and she was sleeping on a dog bed Wade had bought for her. There was a bowl of water by her side along with a couple of toys. He was enjoying having a dog around without the responsibility that came with it.

"Come on, I promise that for you I'm completely monogamous."

"I was more concerned about the stabbing, actually."

On the tv, Buffy was slaying vampires.

"Oh. That's fair."

"Wouldn't want to watch Captain America kick your ass."

"Oy!" Wade shouted indignantly and shrugged, "But you got a point. So what's your problem with the country's number three beefcake? After you and Spider-Man, of course."

"Of course." After weeks of dating, Peter had learned that Wade's obsession with Spider-Man was both admirational and sexual. As much as he tried not to think about the whole situation with his other identity, he couldn't help but find it a little bit funny. Also a little bit sweet that Wade seemed to think Peter, in whatever outfit, was worth his while. "And I don't have a problem with him. I just... I don't know. Mr. Stark has done so much for me and has given me so much, that I guess I have to defend his honor by hating his enemies? Or something like that."

"I am the least qualified person to say this, but I feel like that might be the tiniest itsy bitsiest bit unhealthy. I get it though. I'll hate anyone you hate if you want me to. Even Captain Sexy."

"I don't want that. But thanks, I think. And he doesn't hate them. Which kind of pisses me off. Does that make me a bad person?"

"If you're a bad person then I'm the Queen of England."

"Mm. You'd be pretty in a crown."

"I would be," Wade agreed. "When are you gonna meet them?"

"Mr. Stark says I don't have to, but I think that'd be rude. And well... I'm not supposed to know, but a while ago May and Pepper got wine drunk at the Tower and I overheard them mention that he spoke to Falcon - Sam - I believe, about me. He got advice about how to handle my... condition, from him, and I know I should thank him for it."

"Why would Stark have needed Falcon for that? I know you have the best therapist now, so why not when this started? And he's literally a technological genius, I'm sure he knows how to Google."

Wade was surprisingly perceptive when he wanted to be. Peter loved those layers to him, even when they put him in a corner.

"Um, well... it's complicated?"

Peter hadn't figured out how to tell Wade about his time in the Stone. He didn't know if he should tell him. There was always an underlying fear of rejection.

"Suppose it's best if people don't know you and Stark are best buds. Wouldn't want you getting kidnapped for ransom."

"Exactly."

It was growing dark and Peter had Lilo close the blinds and turn on the lights for him. He was better when he couldn't see that it was night time.

The musical episode of Buffy started and Wade sang along.

"I won't be mad if you don't introduce me to Captain Sexy. I get it. I'm sure I'll meet him sooner or later on my own."

"I'll see what I can do, but I make no promises."

"I respect that."

When it was late they went to the bedroom to sleep; Wade turned on a lamp, brightening the room, and they changed into pajamas and slipped into the bed. Lilo joined them, laying at their feet. At home, she'd sleep in her dog bed in the room unless he was having a bad night and needed her comfort. Here, Peter always worried that he might not be alright and kept her close just in case.

Wade was wonderful and patient when it came to his anxieties, had calmed him after a nightmare even after he'd punched him in the stomach (thankfully not enough to reveal his super strength), but Lilo grounded him as was the purpose of having her.

He rolled into Wade's arms and pressed a kiss to his lips. He'd been spending more nights with him since the Avengers had come to the Tower, although it was far from the first time.

They'd taken the time to explore each other, hours passing as the sun grew bright behind the curtains. But now he was exhausted from the mix of school and home life, and all he did was kiss until his lips were sore and his body limp.

In the morning, he returned to the Tower feeling refreshed and energized. Tony found him in the living room, working diligently on his homework.

"Heya, kiddo. How's it going?" He ruffled his hair and sat by his side.

"Good, good. Getting ready for my exams. What's up?"

It was Saturday, and he knew that the day before there had been some extensive, and boring, meetings.

"Everyone was receptive to the new Accords and it looks like they'll be signing it any day now."

"That's great!" It was said genuinely. Despite his odd feelings about them, he knew they were needed.

"On that note, I was thinking that you should meet them. Not today, necessarily, but soon." Tony didn't mention the why.

They certainly knew he existed. Tony spoke to Sam about him, and he doubted there were many secrets between them.

"Alright," he agreed.

It was weird, thinking back on his fifteen-year-old self who had been so excited to go to Germany to see the _Avengers_ and fight against them. Now at nineteen, he knew what all of that had meant. He was glad he'd gone to fight for Tony, but almost wished he hadn't been given that choice.

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

Tony hadn't slept much recently, he could tell by the dark bags under his eyes and the tremor in his left hand. It was subtle, but his sharp eyes noticed it immediately. He hoped they were struggling too.

"They know a bit about you; Nat's too curious for her own good. They've been wanting to meet you, and we can arrange it if it really doesn't bother you."

"It doesn't. It's gonna happen eventually. We do live in the same building after all."

"I suppose so." There was an odd look in his eyes that Peter couldn't quite place. "What do you think about tomorrow? Or are you off to Wilson's tonight?"

"He's leaving for Uruguay today; he won't be back for a while."

"Alright then. Tomorrow it is." Tony stood, "I have to meet with Pep for some boring work shit, but I'll make us some dinner when I'm done. Any ideas?"

"Umm..." Tony was a better cook than May, which wasn't saying much. "Whatever's fine. Don't know what we have in the fridge."

Going from living with May to living with Tony had required little adjustment. They were both loving and free-spirited and believed in making your own mistakes.

"I'll make us something awesome then."

Peter went through enough schoolwork that the next day he felt no guilt about spending it in the lab working on a car. With Peter not using his spider suit, he and Tony would either work on an Iron Man suit together or on a car which seemed to be a stereotypical bonding experience. Normally between father and son, but it suited its purpose.

They both loved working with their hands and learning together, and this was one of Tony's many expert subject matters. He blasted some ACDC, he'd grown to love them since Tony played it so often, and tore the engine apart and rebuilt it with some new parts.

A few floors up, Tony spoke to the other Avengers.

"Look, I know you all know who Peter is, at least to some degree, but can you pretend not to? He's gone through a lot and I don't want you guys stressing him out."

"Of course, Tony," Steve said without a second thought.

Natasha, the super spy that she was, knew more than the rest and remained silent.

Everyone knew what Peter meant to Tony by the call they'd received two years prior. From her research, she knew he was a lot more than that.

Hesitantly, he agreed to bring them down to the lab to meet Peter. Friday passed along the memo and they stepped into the elevator that brought them to the correct floor.

They were met with ' _Highway to Hell_ ' echoing around the room.

Tony knew Peter couldn't tolerate the volume and would be wearing headphones to dim the sound. He never claimed to understand teenagers but accepted that he was a little flattered that Peter was taking after him in the way he worked.

They'd been taking apart and rebuilding a '61 Ferrari recently, and that's where they found Peter. He was rolled under the car on an old wooden creeper, because Tony was fond of old things even if it caused discomfort, and tools were laid around him hazardously. He also certainly had taken after him when it came to being horribly disorganized.

Lilo lifted her head from her bed, but she remained there obediently. She knew that inside the lab she wasn't to leave it unless given a command. It wasn't a safe place for dogs to wander.

Tony pet her head and then walked over to the worn out sneakers peeking out from beneath the car. He pressed his foot against Peter's to get his attention. He pushed himself out from under the car and Friday turned off the music, the room quieting into an uncomfortable silence. Tony's hand reached down and grabbed Peter's to stop his momentum and keep him from rolling halfway across the lab from the force of his push.

"Watch it kiddo."

Peter smiled and slipped off the oversized headphones resting over his ears, "Sorry!" He let Tony help him stand; he'd not yet taken note of the Avengers standing nearby. "I know Friday was saying something, but I didn't catch it. What's up?"

"First, you're gross. How did this even happen?"

Peter looked down at himself and cringed. He was covered in motor oil and dirt from the hem of his jeans to the tip of his fingers. There were smudges over his cheeks where he'd touched his face.

"I... I don't know," he admitted with a shrug and an innocent smile.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Alright, well before you go get washed up, it's time for you to meet these guys." He pointed over Peter's shoulder and he glanced over to see some of the Avengers. Steve, Natasha, Sam, and Wanda were present.

"Oh. Hi." Peter waved awkwardly.

Wandering in nothingness for months on end, he had seen many faces, many species of aliens and beings that weren't from earth but whose lives had ended just as unfairly. Some faces had been familiar; people he'd passed on the street, celebrities, politicians, those who were known for some reason or other.

He'd also seen the sleeping faces of those who'd died fighting Thanos. Sam and Wanda stood before him breathing with open and alert eyes and a rush of memories flickered in his mind and his stomach dropped.

"Hello, Peter. It's nice to meet you."

Steve's voice came to him as if through water, warped and seeming further than the few feet between them. There was a touch of darkness at the edge of his vision and a halo of light started appearing around their frames.

Tony touched his shoulder cautiously, "Peter?" His face had gone pale and Tony recognized the symptoms.

Peter could no longer hear him.

He blinked and everything was dark. There were no people around him, only stars.

Tony stepped back. He gestured towards Lilo, "One of you stay with the dog. Lilo, _stay_." She had stood from her bed, sensing the incoming episode, but with the command, she remained still. He could never know for sure if she'd listen and Peter was too dangerous not to take every precaution. Natasha went to the dog.

His right hand was quickly wrapped in red iron.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked, voice firm. He took a step forward and Tony held out his hand to stop him.

"Stay back."

Peter fell to his knees, cradling his face in his hands. He started mumbling incoherently. It wasn't words, but Tony knew what he was trying to say; he remembered everything Peter said in these states.

He was gone to them right now, and Tony had learned that talking to him didn't help. Not right away. What he needed to focus on was his safety and the safety of those around him.

It had been a long time since he'd had a flashback of this intensity. He couldn't place what had triggered it. Tony had only seen so many of his memories and didn't know that Peter had seen Sam and Wanda in the Stone and was unable to make that connection.

As his foot touched the side of a tool, in his panicked state, Peter couldn't seem to identify it. His hand wrapped around the wrench and threw it away, eyes unseeing. It missed hitting anyone, but the strength behind the throw launched it into the wall.

"The fuck?" Sam eyed it warily.

Lilo barked. Natasha wrapped a hand around her collar to keep her from running forward.

"Okay, kiddo, this is kind of a bad place for this. Let's see if we can move you, alright?" Tony preferred to talk him through it even though he knew he wouldn't be heard.

As punishment for their mutual disorganization, Peter was currently surrounded by tools of all levels of danger, and with his strength anything could kill; not to mention the tables and toolkits and the four thousand pound car.

"Tony, is there anything we can do?" Steve asked, tone full of concern.

He saw Wanda step forward, her hands glowing red, but a shiver ran through him and he snapped, "Don't! Just. Don't."

Her magic faded and there was a hurt look on her face that he ignored.

There wasn't any option other than to try and pull Peter away from the clutter. He hoped he wouldn't start screaming. That was always painful. His hand that wasn't protected wrapped around his forearm and he tried to guide him forward while keeping his gauntleted hand free.

Peter threw several more things, thankfully dodged. His gaze didn't land on anyone or anything. All he wanted was to get rid of anything that was unfamiliar; anything that didn't belong in the world he was seeing.

He pulled his arm out of Tony's grip, it hadn't been that tight to begin with, and he threw a punch that was caught in the gauntlet. There was a sharp clang as it landed heavily, the metal creaking as it bent under the pressure.

With adrenaline rushing through him, Tony didn't notice the pain.

He stepped away from Peter, at a loss what to do. Peter fell back and his hand flew out. It hit the front of the Ferrari and dented through it. The car slid several feet.

"Jesus Christ," Sam muttered.

"Come on, kiddo. I need you to work with me here."

One wrong move and his hand might go straight through a screwdriver and that wasn't something Tony was keen on seeing.

He held his injured hand to his chest and watched his kid suffer on his own once more.

"I wanna go home... please... I wanna go home..." his words were a bit more coherent and Tony ached at hearing it.

"You're home, Peter. I promise."

A red portal opened and Tony wouldn't admit to being happy to see Stephen.

He was plenty aware he was too invested in Peter's health at times, that he couldn't think objectively about what needed to be done. Stephen was the more neutral party between them. The newly retitled Avengers did not know who he was but stayed where they were with curiousity flowing through them.

"About time you showed up. The kid just punched a car."

"And you, I see."

He eyed the dented gauntlet.

Tony wasn't quite sure how he was going to get his hand free, but now wasn't the time to worry about it.

Stephen moved his hands until a wall of red magic flowed out and wrapped around Peter in a box shape. It kept him contained and unable to touch anything near him that could hurt him.

It only distressed him more; tears were streaming down his face and his arms beat against the magical wall. Behind Stephen, the cloak was moving in agitation.

Natasha had to pin Lilo to the floor to keep her from running to Peter.

"That's not helping, Strange!"

"Would you prefer he throw a car at you? Because I'm more than happy to let that happen." Stephen's body was completely tense and there was the hint of sweat on his brow. Peter was strong and him pounding against his magic was exerting him more quickly than he was used to.

"Just get him away from all that shit," Tony snapped back.

His left hand shook. He hated seeing Peter like this. He really, really hated it.

Stephen created a field around Peter and slowly carried him forward until he was further away from everything that posed a threat. He didn't enjoy seeing him like this either and didn't like having to do this, but it was important and he stuck to his choice.

His magic faded and Peter curled into a fetal position on the cold floor, mumbling to himself.

"Can't you knock him out?" Tony asked though he knew the answer.

"You know it doesn't always work," Stephen said. His ability to put people to sleep worked like medication, used too often the effects would lessen, and should Peter's brain be too active, it would be ineffective. "We'll have to wait for him to tire on his own."

Peter's nails dug into his temples, drawing blood.

"What triggered this?" Stephen asked, frustrated. His magic wrapped around Peter's hand and pulled it an inch away from his skin.

"Don't know. We came down for a meet and greet and he just..."

The rest was self-explanatory. Stephen could connect the dots. Peter's memories were his own and he remembered the peaceful, sleeping, faces of Sam Wilson and Wanda Maximoff and knew they were the cause.

"He has super strength, right?" Steve approached carefully.

"Don't worry about it, Capsicle," Tony said defensively.

Peter's eyes flickered wildly in search of something or other. The fact that the cloak was keeping its distance was all the tell that Tony needed to know it wasn't yet safe to approach.

His hand reached out and took hold of a closed toolbox. He flung it out in the midst of his panic. It landed between Sam and Wanda with a heavy thud. Peter started sobbing, his mutterings growing louder.

"Any ideas?" Tony asked Stephen.

"Wait," was the response.

Steve walked forward, confident and wanting to help, "Let me try."

Tony wanted to stop him, but he was quick in getting close to Peter and he stayed back. Steve had his own abilities to keep him safe. He slipped in behind him and took his hands in his. He crossed them over his chest and held them tightly. His legs were on his sides and kept him from moving too much.

Peter was strong, more than Tony liked to think about, but Steve had years of experience on him and was able to keep him locked in place. He started screaming, a sound mixing fear and anguish together, and Steve grimaced. His ears were sensitive to loud noises, much like Peter's, but his pain came from the intensity of the sound and not its volume.

Steve held tight, hoping it might stop him.

Tony stayed silent, hands reaching out like he wanted to pull Peter from him but not certain it was the right choice.

His head snapped back and smashed into Steve's face. There was a crunch as his nose broke and blood poured down his chin. He ignored it and continued to hold onto Peter.

"It's me, Peter. You gotta come back to me. Come on, kiddo. I know you can do it."

With his arms held down, Tony wasn't as concerned about getting nearer and he tried talking to him. Quite a few minutes had passed and hopefully, he could hear him now.

Neither his words or Steve's restraining were of much help alone, but together and with the passage of time, Peter fell limp in his arms. He'd finally fallen unconscious.

Steve released his arms and passed him on to Tony who knelt by him instantly, arms reaching for his child. He wrapped his arms around him and tucked Peter's head beneath his chin. He rocked them, more for his own comfort.

Steve stood, pressing a hand to his already healing nose. He wiped away the blood and silently left Peter. Wanda took a look at him but was unconcerned by the injury; it would heal on its own. Sam kept his eyes on Peter.

This had to be Spider-Man. He was smart enough to put two and two together. But... how had he become this? When he'd met him in Germany, he'd been an excitable child with more enhanced abilities than he knew what to do with. What had happened in the years between then and now?

"Sorry, Cap," Tony said, voice soft so as not to wake up Peter. "You can let go of Lilo. He's gonna be out for a while."

Natasha released the dog and she clambered over to them. Lilo sat by Peter's side and sniffed his face. Tony pet her gently.

"He's alright, pup."

Stephen knelt next to them and the cloak flew from his shoulders to Peter's, curling around him tightly. Tony wiped the tears from the now peaceful face. His eyes were closed and there was a tint of pink to his cheeks again. Tremors shook through him from a troubled sleep.

"It's them," Stephen whispered so that only Tony could hear him, "The last time he saw some of them was in _there_."

"Damn it. Why wouldn't he have just said so?"

"I believe he thought it would go better than it did."

Tony hm'ed. He shifted Peter until he was more comfortable, readying himself to be sitting on the floor for the next little while. Over his shoulder, he said to his newly re-appointed co-workers, "You guys are free to head upstairs, we're not going to be much company right now."

Steve still had blood on his face and hands, and everyone agreed with a shared look that now wasn't the time to start asking questions. They left quietly, Sam taking one last look behind at the child. The relationship made no sense, his behaviour was a clear indication of deep-seated trauma, and he couldn't fit the stranger with the flying cloak into the already messed up equation.

Stephen pulled Tony's right hand away from his body and stared at the dented metal. There was no simple way of getting his hand out of it. With a wave of magic, he repaired it, pulling the metal apart. Tony activated the gauntlet and it retracted into his wristband.

His hand was red and swelling.

"Well, that isn't pretty," Tony commented.

"Consider this a one time deal, Stark. And I'm only doing this because Peter would guilt himself for the next ten years about breaking your hand."

Stephen healed his hand with magic and the skin returned to its normal tan, scars and callouses where they were before. Tony clenched his hand and was, admittedly, a little awed by the quick recovery.

"Alright, Gandalf, guess I owe you one. But first, think you can help me out here? I'm getting way too old to be carrying teenagers around."

"At least you're willing to admit it."

With the help of magic once again, Tony picked up Peter and they made their way to their own floor with Lilo trotting behind. He placed him on the sofa and set a glass of water on the coffee table for when he woke up. Lilo lay by his feet, head on his thigh and watching his face.

Stephen took the recliner. He commented, "It's been a while since he's had a flashback like this."

"The last one was eight months ago," Tony memorized the dates because his mind wouldn't let him forget them. "He's been doing really well lately. He's excelling at school, as always, and he's been spending nights out of the Tower. I hate to say it, but this thing with Wilson seems to be working out."

"I don't even want to think about it." Stephen tolerated Wade, at best. His feelings towards Wade mostly consisted of annoyance, he didn't have the patience to deal with him but knew what it meant to change as a person and held the smallest respect for that, and it was impossible to see Peter's smiling face and not be thankful to whatever caused it.

"I get that." Tony sighed, "He's not going to be happy they saw him like that."

"Have they agreed to sign the Accords?"

"Should be done this week."

"If they'll be moved elsewhere, he won't have to worry about it. Since he isn't Spider-Man anymore, he won't have any reason to interact with them."

"They'll be moved to the compound, I think, but... I want him to get to know them. He spent half his life admiring them, I hate the idea that the things he's gone through have changed that. Maybe getting to know them will remind him why he wanted to be a hero in the first place."

Stephen frowned, "You want him to become Spider-Man again?"

"No, no, that's not what I mean. I want him to have that sense of wonder again. You should have seen his face all those years ago when I brought him to Germany to fight Captain America. He was so excited like there was nothing he wanted more in the world than to just _see_ the Avengers. He doesn't get that look anymore, and I don't know how to bring it back."

"What if you can't? He's not a child anymore and those feelings don't last forever. Besides, I believe that he may no longer admire them as he used to due to his love for you."

"That doesn't-"

"Face it, Stark. Peter sees you as family. Do you think if anyone slighted May, even for the littlest thing, that he wouldn't hold a grudge?"

Tony thought about it. As kind as Peter was, he loved fiercely and would latch onto people with all his heart.

"I... suppose you're right." He didn't like it, but it was one of the many reasons he loved him so much. If Peter wasn't fond of the Avengers because they had chosen the side of the battlefield opposite Tony, there was going to be no changing his mind.

Peter was slowly waking and they quieted. He shifted and his eyes blinked open wearily. He glanced around the room and smiled at the sight of them. His hand reached down to pet Lilo and reassure her that he was alright.

"Hey," he said, voice cracking. It was worn out and his eyes hurt from crying. Waking up to this was unfortunately familiar.

"Hey, kiddo. How you feeling?"

"Like shit. Excuse my french." Over the years he'd learned to be a bit more honest in his responses. They already knew the truth.

Peter sat up and held Lilo close. She licked his face and tried to help him as she'd been trained. His arms wrapped around her and he took in her warmth. Cloakie tightened around him. His body wracked with tremors that didn't seem keen on stopping any time soon. There was a chill in him that wouldn't fade.

Tony stood from his seat and sat next to him, pulling him in for a hug. Peter slipped his hands under his blazer, soaking in his heat. He hated being cold.

"I'm sorry," Tony thought this was going to be about the Avengers, but he was wrong. "I ruined the car. Do you think we can fix it?"

"Of course we can."

"Thanks for coming, Dr. Strange."

"You're welcome, Peter."

"Is Captain America still around? I should apologize for breaking his nose."

"Don't worry about it, kiddo. He's not upset about it. Here's some water," he handed him the full glass, "get some rest. Everything else will sort itself out."

"I'm sorry the meeting went so terribly. I didn't think..."

"It's okay, Peter. I promise."

His lips pursed, not certain if he should believe him or not, but inevitably he did. "Alright, if you're sure. But I think I'd like to try again soon. Give them a better impression of me if I can."

"We can certainly arrange another meeting. But for now, I don't want you thinking about any of them. Take some time to relax."

"I'm not very good at that."

"I know."

Peter spent the evening watching tv, talking to friends on the phone, and video chatting with Wade who was on a plane going south. He thought of Sam, who he still wanted to thank even if his mind tried to remind him of sleeping faces. He remembered vaguely the sight of Steve with blood dripping from his chin and knowing he'd caused it.

They had dinner together that night, the three of them with the magic cloak. Peter could more easily ground himself when surrounded by those who knew all the things he'd gone through.

That night held nightmares that Lilo helped him through and the feeling of falling that didn't scare him as it should.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter, I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> BTW - Ned isn't mentioned in this story simply because I couldn't find a way to fit him in. But he's definitely there and still Peter's BFF and an unwavering support system :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy :)

Peter was met with the tightest and warmest hug that Wade could give. After two weeks in Uruguay, Wade landed the jet at Stark Tower and threw himself in his awaiting boyfriend's arms.

"Hey, baby boy!" He lifted his mask and pressed a wet smacking kiss to his cheek, and then let Peter drag him into a proper one.

"Welcome back," Peter said.

Over the intercom system, Tony's voice came through saying, "That's _not_ my jet, Wilson! Take it back from wherever you stole it or so help me-"

"Yes, dad!" Wade shouted, and said softly to Peter, "Wanna go for a ride? I promise it'll be magical."

Peter lifted a finger, pointing up towards the speaker, "What does dad say?"

"... Fine, I'll watch Lilo. Come back without an arrest warrant. And don't forget you have that project to work on!" The intercom clicked shut.

"Back to the jet!" Wade said excitedly.

Peter jumped into his arms, wrapping his legs around his waist, and let Wade carry him into the jet after pressing a long, heated kiss to his lips. "Missed you."

"Missed you too, Petey-pie."

They settled behind the console and Wade set the destination as a few miles north of their current location. The jet took off. Peter sat next to him, sitting sideways and tucking his legs up against his chest.

"How was the mission?"

"Same old, same old. Caught the baddie, did the world some good," Wade deflected and moved on, "How's it been over here? Break anymore of Captain America's body parts?"

Wade had been off the grid as soon as he'd landed outside the country and the last time they'd spoken had been the night of his terrible episode in front of the Avengers. He'd told him what he'd felt comfortable sharing, which at this point was enough to get relief from the retelling, but not so much that Wade could see the full picture.

"It's been alright, I suppose," Peter shrugged, "I've seen them around, a bit, and I haven't freaked out on them again. And I haven't had a chance to talk to Sam yet either. Everything's been a bit... tense."

"And how've you been feeling?"

"Could be better," he admitted. "It was embarrassing. I wish they hadn't seen me like that."

"But they haven't been assholes about it, right?"

"They haven't said anything," Peter reassured him, watching his hands relax around the steering, "Which I appreciate. When we get back, I could introduce you. If you still want that."

"Sure, baby boy!"

Wade had, surprisingly, been authorized to use the jet and it had been dropped off for him on the outskirts of the city. They left it there and made their way back to the Tower with the help of a taxi and the subway. It wasn't a short return home, but the company was good and they made a brief stop for food on the way.

Peter went up to get Lilo from Tony, who greeted them briefly and sent them on their way. He was on a call, Peter wasn't sure what country's Prime Minister was on the other end, but it sounded important.

The new Accords had been signed and there were plans to move Steve, Natasha, Sam, Wanda, and Vision (who'd requested to stay with Wanda) to the compound, but that would take a few more days still. For now, they had a floor to themselves and after checking in with Friday to see if everyone as there, that's where the two headed next.

They were in the training room, specifically. Bruce greeted them as they walked in from where he was sitting with Natasha watching Steve and Sam spar. Wanda and Vision weren't in the room, but they weren't really who Wade wanted to see.

"Hey, Dr. Banner! How are you?" Peter sat next to him and tugged on Wade's hand to make him sit too. Lilo lay in front of him, head on one of his feet.

"I'm well, Peter. Welcome back, Wade. Good to see you in one piece."

From the squeeze to his hand, Peter knew he was pleased by the kind words though Wade played it off.

"Well, you know, Stark wouldn't let me in here otherwise and I needed my Petey fix."

Bruce smiled, "Of course."

"Wade, this is Ms. Romanoff," he gestured to Natasha, "and this is my boyfriend, Wade Wilson."

An eyebrow rose in curiousity and she nodded once in greeting.

Wade waved excitedly, "Hiya! Huge fan. Love the tights."

Peter and Bruce leaned back so that they could see each other and they shared a smile. Nat tended to be on the quieter side, much like Bruce, and they wondered how she'd take to him. There was no doubt in Peter's mind that she knew exactly who he was and that she would know all the terrible things that Deadpool had done. He only hoped to prove there was more than that.

"Hi," she said flatly as Wade clearly expected a response.

"How's training?" Peter asked Bruce softly.

"It's good. I've been meaning to ask; I've noticed Tony hasn't been down at all, has he spoken to you about it? When I try to bring it up he shuts me down right away, and I thought you might have had better luck."

"He's a bit... wary, I guess? The last time they fought he got his ass kicked." Peter hoped Steve wasn't paying them attention and wasn't hearing his words.

He and Sam were still sparring. He'd noticed that they'd caught their eye, but they were finishing what they'd started first.

Bruce's lips pursed, "I suppose that's true, but I was hoping they'd both make more of an effort to fix this tension between them."

"Mr. Stark's letting them live here, I think that's enough," Peter knew he sounded bitter but didn't pretend he wasn't.

Bruce hummed to acknowledge his comment but didn't add anything to it. He knew Peter was going to defend Tony no matter what. At this point, neither Tony nor Steve had made any attempt to talk and the tension was still thick in the air.

"I'm surprised Tony's letting you stick around," Natasha told Wade. She was prodding for answers. It was clear that Peter had a great influence over Tony, his gentle care of Peter after his flashback enough evidence let alone the special arrangements he'd made throughout the Tower and the service dog and letting him live with him. But - that would only give her more reason to believe Tony wouldn't have wanted Wade around Peter.

She knew Deadpool as well as any other Shield agent. How Peter had found any good in him was beyond her.

"Me too," Wade said honestly with a chuckle, "What can I say? Petey tends to get his way. Have you seen that face? No one can say no to that."

Natasha didn't hold back her responding smile, "You may have a point."

Peter poked his side and shot him a look, "I don't always get my way."

"Lies! That's a bigger lie than Black Widow being a natural redhead. Tell me a time where Daddy Stark has said no to you. I wanna hear it."

Natasha and Peter both glared at him.

"Shut up, Wade," Peter said because he couldn't think of anything that wasn't Spider-Man related. ' _Don't go after the villain that is clearly above your pay grade_ ' wasn't something he could tell Wade.

A masked kiss was pressed to his cheek and his glare faded as quickly as it had appeared.

Steve and Sam finished their spar and approached them, the first with an easy smile on his face and the second with a frown.

"Hi," Steve greeted them cheerfully. There wasn't a spot of sweat on him, the workout not enough for his advanced abilities.

"Hi, Mr. Rogers. I came down to introduce you to my boyfriend, Wade. He wanted to meet you guys. He's a bit of a fan."

"Hey, Captain Sexy!" Wade stood and held out his hand.

Peter rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling fondly.

Steve shook his hand, "Hello, Wade. It's nice to meet you," he said politely.

"Aren't you Deadpool?" Sam asked, straightforward.

"That would be me," Wade said, forcefully sounding cheerful. Peter knew it wasn't genuine.

"And you're dating Peter?"

"Yes, sir!" Wade brought his hand up in a salute.

" _Why_?" He asked.

"Because we like each other," Peter answered before Wade could push aside the question. "That should be all there is to it, don't you think?"

Sam didn't say anything to the question.

As much as it angered him, Peter knew he meant well and tried to push down his anger. They were looking out for him, he reminded himself, even if it wasn't necessary. Tony's list has been extensive and that's all they knew about Wade. They didn't know the dorky side that loved _Golden Girls_ and the sweet side that cried while watching _50 First Dates_.

"I take it you're a Super, yes?" At Wade's nod, Steve continued, "Would you like train with me? I think Sam's had enough for one day," he teased.

Wade couldn't say no to that invitation and skipped to the center of the room. Sam took his seat, not saying anything. He pet Lilo and then crossed his arms.

Steve spoke to Wade briefly about the rules of the spar and then they were off. Peter, taking the opportunity, turned to Sam and said, "I never got to thank you."

"For what?" He asked.

"For helping Mr. Stark. I know you helped him help me a few years ago, and I've been meaning to thank you for that."

"Oh. That. Well, that's my job, Peter. I'm just happy it helped." Sam glanced down at Lilo.

"It really did," Peter said.

"So. This-" Sam waved his hand towards Wade, "What's this about?"

"It's not about anything. We're dating, it's really that simple."

Bruce piped up and added, "he actually grows on you after a while."

Sam didn't appear to believe them but chose not to say anything else. They all fell into an awkward silence. Bruce and Peter spoke to break it and waited for Wade to get his fill of getting his ass kicked. Steve was patient with him, giving him pointers and encouraging him.

Peter was happy to see it, despite his mixed feelings about him.

When they were done, Peter took Wade upstairs to hang out and he spent the night going on and on about how much fun it was fighting Captain America. He couldn't fault him for his enthusiasm and let him talk. He loved seeing him happy.

After the experience of hanging out with some of his favourite superheroes, Peter was surprised by Wade's odd melancholy a few days later.

"I give up!" He layed on the floor in the middle of the kitchen, face up and arms spread out to the sides. Lilo licked his face.

Tony was sipping his coffee while working on his phone and ignored him, and Peter stared with a frown.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Papa Stark, you gotta help me out here. I'm at my wit's end." He'd gone from 'daddy' to 'papa' which was mildly easier for Peter to digest.

"Whatever it is, it's a no."

Peter crouched next to him and pat his shoulder. Wade had gotten more comfortable being in civvies and was only wearing jeans and a hoodie, leaving his face visible to see. His eyes were narrowed and his mouth was pursed in displeasure.

"I've been all over this city and nothing. There's nothing. I've met every criminal he ever put away and no one has anything. You gotta tell me where to find him!"

Peter knew where this was going, but couldn't stop Tony from asking, "Find who?" His tone was flat and disinterested.

"Spider-Man, obviously. Keep up, genius."

Tony coughed as he choked on his coffee. " _What_? You're looking for Spider-Man?"

"Yeah. And I know you know where to find him, you know everything that goes on around here. So please, I'm begging you here," Wade pleaded.

Peter and Tony shared a look. Wade came to New York and the first person to give him the time of day was Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man. The irony did not go unnoticed. Peter hoped Tony wouldn't freak out.

"That's..." Tony struggled for words, "I got nothing for you, Wilson. Sorry."

"I've told you, Wade, he's been MIA for years. Maybe it's time you move on." Peter ignored Tony's frown at the revelation that he'd known all along that Wade was searching for Spider-Man.

"But I don't wanna," he said childishly.

"Why are you looking for him?" Tony asked, "He wasn't exactly known world-wide and that's an oddly specific person you're after."

"Because." Wade took the drawstrings from his hoodie and pulled down until they were fully drawn and the material was closed around his face. Only his nose poked out from the opening.

Peter looked at Tony and shrugged. He mouthed, ' _I don't know_ ' at a loss for both the question and Wade's behaviour.

"Alright. Well. I'm just gonna go then." Tony walked out of the room, trusting Peter to resolve whatever _this_ was, and he stopped briefly by Wade to stare down at him, brows drawn in confusion.

Wade stretched open the hood and Peter lay next to him, pushed up on his elbow to look down at his face.

"What's going on, Wade?" He asked gently.

"Even Vulture had nothing to tell me. I swear the fucker has a name, but there were too many guards and I promised you no killing, so I'm just... fucked."

"You went to see the Vulture?" Peter asked. Whenever he got out of jail that was going to be an interesting confrontation.

"Totally. He's a jerk, but you would be proud to know I didn't punch him."

"I'm very proud," Peter placated, "Now, do you want to tell me what this is all about?"

"Not really," he pouted.

"Wade, you're starting to worry me with all this... obsessing over Spider-Man."

"You know you'll always be my number one boy," Wade said to tease, but Peter sighed.

"That's not what I mean and you know it. Whatever this is, it isn't healthy."

"I don't get it. Why he just... disappeared. There were some things going on in my life around that time and it feels like another shot to the gut, you know? That on top of everything else, the best superhero just falls off the face of the planet. And since no one else wanted me around, I figured it was the right time to come to New York and see if I could convince him to kick ass again."

"You want to team up with him?"

Wade shrugged, "Sure, if this were some perfect universe where he could tolerate me enough to be cool with that. I'm not exactly known for partnering up with people. You're literally my longest, sanest relationship which I feel says a lot more about you than me."

Peter slapped his shoulder, "Shut up, Wade. We're perfect." He left the hint of a sweet, genuine kiss on his lips, "So you just... want to know he's alive? And that's it?"

"Sounds more basic when you say it like that."

"Well, is there more to it?"

"The timing seems weird," Wade admitted. "From one day to the next ' _poof_ '. No one in the news knows anything, none of the Supers know anything and the ones that do won't say shit. I want to know what happened to him."

"But why? You've never met him. I don't even understand how you ever knew he existed in the first place."

"When you're surrounded by asshole Supers who think they own the world, someone like that stands out. If he were a few marbles loose, Stark could legit take over the world in seconds. These guys have all the power and think they're righteous for it. Spidey's just looking out for the little guys because he actually cares and that makes him way better than all these douchebags."

"Oh," Peter mumbled softly. If he weren't actually Spider-Man, this conversation might be harder to hear. His boyfriend admired this other person so intensely, he might have been concerned about their relationship.

"I'm sure people believe him when he tells them shit."

Peter stood and tugged Wade up with him, "Alright, let's go hang up on the roof for a bit, get some air. I think you need to get your mind on other things."

"If you say so." Wade was still moping.

Peter sent him off on the elevator, making a pit stop in his room. He pulled a spare blanket out from his closet and paused briefly to look at a familiar box in the corner on the floor. It had been years since he'd opened it last. There was dust across the top.

When he reached the roof, Wade was sitting on the edge and looking up at the sky. It was late afternoon, the sky glowing a light orange. Peter sat next to him and wrapped the blanket around them. It was the middle of May; neither warm nor cold yet, but Peter always drew comfort from being wrapped up.

Wade kissed him, feet kicking the roof with a joyful rhythmic thump.

"You know, I find it kind of sweet how much you like him."

"I thought you wouldn't like it. Like, get jelly or something. But it's not like that."

"I know," Peter said, resting his head on his shoulder and starring out at the city. He and Tony did this often, he'd been doing well at seeing the darkness approach without getting heart palpitations, but with Wade, it felt romantic and his heart fluttered in a way he didn't mind at all. "Are you going to leave New York if you can't find him?"

That was the thought that made his blood run cold.

Wade shook his head, "Nah. I'm not wanted anywhere else and I'd rather stick around here. With you. If you'd be cool with that."

"I'd be really cool with that."

They shared a smile.

"I love you. A lot." Peter blurted out.

Wade's smile only grew, eyes bright with joy and surprise. Peter wished he could have a snapshot of his expression to keep for reference whenever his vision started going dark.

"I love you, too. And I like you. So I don't plan on going anywhere."

"Good, that's really good." Peter pulled him down for a kiss, body tingling against his and wanting to take him in, breath in his scent and feel him all over his skin. He lay back against the roof and Wade moved over him, their legs still dangling off the roof.

Wade's hands moved down his sides and settled at his waist. His thumb brushed over a bump in his pocket and the pressure reminded Peter what he'd wanted to talk to Wade about.

"Wait, wait, wait... You're so distracting. Up, sit up."

Wade whined and sat up again, breath heavy and lips glistening. It would be easier to just go back to kissing him. Peter pulled the item from his pocket and held it between his hands.

"What's that?" Wade asked. His voice came out rough.

Peter stroked the familiar circle of metal he'd made himself. It looked like a bracelet at first glance. He took a deep breath and looked at Wade.

"This is one of Spider-Man's webshooters," he told him. He handed it over to Wade who turned it over in awe.

"Seriously?! That's awesome! How'd you get one of these?" He fiddled with it, completely fascinated. "O.M.G please tell me he's not dead."

"It's mine, actually."

"That's so cool!" Peter knew Wade didn't understand. He had his specialties, catching on to the obvious wasn't one of them.

Peter gently took it back from Wade and slipped it on his wrist. There was no choice other than to say it blankly, "I'm Spider-Man, Wade. Or... I was, back in the day."

Wade paused, like a computer trying to process new programming, and after a moment said, "You're shitting me! That's not even - that doesn't..."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I didn't know what it meant to you and... it's been a long time since I've had anything to do with all that."

"You gotta take like, a million steps back here, baby boy. _You're_ Spider-Man. You, my boyfriend, love of my life, are Spider-Man. What the utter fuck."

Peter laughed and hid his face in his hands, "I know! I know, okay. I don't even know how this happened."

"Promise me you're not pranking me. That'd be real rude and I don't think my old heart can handle it."

"You're not old, Wade," Peter knew this was hard to take in and smiled gently in understanding, "And I'm not pranking you. I got my powers when I was fourteen and decided to become a superhero, as any teenager with superpowers would do, and so Spider-Man was born. It went well, for a while. And then it didn't."

Wade hesitated, but due to some of his history that he had difficulty sharing, he couldn't quite believe he wasn't being lied to.

"That's oddly convenient."

"Trust me, the irony isn't lost on me either. Or Mr. Stark. I'm sure he's going to have a nice chat with me later."

"Is that why you live with Stark? Because you're his superhero apprentice?"

"Ah...No," Peter said, "It's a little more complicated. But that's how we got to know each other. He asked me to go to Germany to help him fight Captain America."

"But you were only fourteen!"

"Fifteen, actually. And I went because I thought it was the right thing to do. I trusted him, and I still do. And I don't think that's wrong." Peter defended, "And he's saved my life. I ower him everything."

"Alright, sorry, didn't mean to diss your dad. I just... can't wrap my head around it."

Wade was staring at him, eyes wide with a hint of disbelief still present.

"Things happened and then I couldn't be Spider-Man anymore. Lilo might be a cute superhero, but I don't think she'd do well on a battlefield."

"This isn't to make me feel better, is it? Because I don't want that. I'd rather be upset about not ever seeing Spider-Man than you lying to me. I don't want you lying to me. It's not cool."

"I promise it's true."

Peter knew Wade wasn't going to believe him easily but was a bit surprised by his determined resistance.

To prove his point, his hand settled on the roof and clenched down. It crunched and in his hand was a piece of cement. He held the block between them and closed his fingers around it tightly until it fell apart into smaller pieces.

"I wouldn't lie to you Wade. Maybe I should have told you sooner, but it's been so long since I've had anything to do with that life that I... I was scared."

Wade played with the pebbles scattered over their laps, eyes stuck on Peter, "I get that, I think."

"Are you mad?" Peter asked.

"Of course not. It's your secret. I'm just... confused, I guess. It's hard to see you as Spider-Man." At his look, he added, "Not that you couldn't handle it! I mean. You're Petey and suddenly you're Spider-Man? What?"

"I know it's weird. I feel the same way sometimes. I think back on what I used to do and..." Peter looked out at the sky. It was growing darker. The lights from the Tower beneath them were brighter than the remnants of the sun. He used to be a Superhero. Now he was a college student with a mercenary boyfriend and more mental issues than he knew how to deal with.

"Why'd you hang up the suit?"

The million dollar question.

"I had a mission, and it broke me." Peter wanted to tell him more, but couldn't. His time in the Stone was too personal. Too much. If he could revoke those memories from Tony and Stephen, he would. Those memories were his own to handle; it was his responsibility to see everyone else happy and ignorant.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't be Spider-Man when I can't go out at night without having a panic attack. I'm a mess and that means so is he. I don't see myself ever being able to be that person ever again," he admitted honestly.

It was a sad truth he hardly let himself believe.

"I think you could," Wade said earnestly.

Peter played with the webshooter and shrugged.

"It can't just be irony that brought us together. You're amazing, with or without the suit, and you can be whoever the hell you want to be. Superhero included."

"I appreciate the optimism," Peter said, unable to help the smile that spread across his lips.

"What happened on that mission?" Wade asked.

"It's... complicated," he said as his default answer.

"That's alright. I got the info I wanted. It's good to know you're alright. Or well, Spider-Man. I always knew you were fine. This is kind of weird." Wade frowned.

Peter asked, "Is this okay? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm fine. I think I might be in shock, but like a horny shock because you're so goddamn hot and thinking about you in tights is kinda getting to me."

He laughed and pressed their shoulders together, feeling happily warm, "Of course that's what you're thinking about."

They were silent for a long while, as it seemed they were both processing the turn of events. Wade wasn't used to being quiet, but it was hard to think when it turned out his boyfriend was the superhero he'd been admiring since he'd learned of his existence.

It was really weird.

"Does that thing still work?" Wade pointed to the webshooter.

Peter shrugged, "No idea. It's really old."

"No better way to know than to test it."

"Wade, I really don't think-" Peter started and quickly stopped.

His darling boyfriend placed his hands down by his sides and pushed himself forward. Right off the building.

Time paused, as it did for him when his adrenaline got kickstarted, and he had a brief thought, ' _I'm dating a suicidal idiot_ '. Without thinking anything further, he followed after him. He jumped off the building and angled his body to have his head down and arms pressed to his side to gain speed. The wind rushed passed him and his hands shook in what he hesitated to call bliss. Mixed with annoyance and fear; Wade wouldn't die from the fall, but it wasn't easy seeing him head straight to a solid ground.

Peter reached him, a few floors down the building, and wrapped an arm around his waist and prayed. He aimed his hand, shut his eyes, and pressed down on the trigger. The familiar _thwoop_ of web launching out hit his ears like the sweetest music; like the sound of Wade's laugh, or Lilo's bark, or May and Tony's reprimands wrapped in care.

It hit its mark and he tugged, pulling them up and around, landing heavily with his feet firmly planted on the roof. Wade fell back and laid down and Peter knelt next to him, both breathing heavy.

Wade hadn't worried for himself, but if that hadn't worked...

He sighed and laughed, "Thank fuck that worked out! I did _not_ have a backup plan."

Peter shook his head, tears falling freely and his hands shaking wildly. Seeing this, Wade sat up and wiped them away. He stayed silent as Peter gathered his breath.

"You're so fucking stupid, Wade." He threw his arms around his neck and held him tight, "I know you believe in me, but I can't, okay? I'm not Spider-Man anymore. I will never be Spider-Man again. And I can't have you risking your life to make me something I'm not. Please don't ever scare me like that again."

"But you liked it," Wade defended, "I saw it on your face."

"I did," Peter admitted. He drew back and wiped away his own tears, "I do. But that's not the problem." He bit back a sob, "I just can't. And I need you to understand that. Alright?"

"Okay, Petey. I'm sorry." Wade kissed him softly, regret in his eyes. "I won't do that again."

Peter didn't let him draw back from the kiss. He moved in, pushing him down against the roof. His pulse was racing, and his hands were still shaking. It was adrenaline and there was one way he knew to fix that.

"You sure though? Because if this happens every time-"

Peter licked into his mouth, shutting him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last bit was inspired by the Spideypool comics where Wade often tricks Peter into doing things he believes is best for him. A bit dickish but true to his nature and I thought it was right to add it in.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment with your thoughts, I always love to hear from you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this chapter contains ANSWERS!
> 
> Lots of Spideypool, loooots of Irondad love.
> 
> Be prepared.
> 
> #Deadpooldefensesquad

The Avengers were moved to the compound within the next week, and Tony was on edge when not too long after, they were calling for a meeting in the Tower. They asked for a boardroom and Friday guided them there for 2 pm, letting Tony know of their arrival.

He'd been hiding out in the lab, hoping they'd change their mind and wouldn't show up.

With a sigh, he put down his tools and headed to the meeting room.

Not everyone was there; he was met with Steve, Natasha, Clint, Sam, and Bruce when he opened the door fashionably late. Bruce had agreed to join in as he was technically an Avenger and he knew Tony would want the support.

"What's up?" He asked, straight to the point. They were all seated and it was Steve that stood with a pack of papers in his hands.

"This is about Deadpool," he answered. He stepped around the table and placed the documents down for Tony to grab. He didn't.

"Ah. And what about him?"

"We have some concerns about him being here," Steve said.

"Why the hell _is_ he here?" Natasha asked. "I know he's dating the kid, but surely you could have sent him on his way before that started?"

He took a deep breath to still his thoughts.

"I, uh, didn't know that's what this was about," Bruce said in his own defense.

"I know, Brucie."

"But you can't agree with this?" Sam asked.

"And if I do?" Tony was grateful that Bruce had volunteered as support. He didn't like being backed into a figurative corner by people who had once been his friends.

"Listen, I'm willing to take responsibility for whatever Wade does while living in New York, and right now, he's not going anywhere and you'll have to accept that. If you don't, there's the door. End of story."

Tony was fully prepared to turn and walk out, but it wouldn't be that easy.

"Most of the data we collected on him came from Shield, but we got some interesting stuff from Colossus too. He was staying with the X-Men before he came here and he was off his rockers. The guy's a murderous nutcase. How are you okay with him being around Peter?" Clint asked next.

As someone who had kids of his own, he knew that Clint meant it the right way, but it didn't make it easier to hear them doubting his choices. They didn't think he could take care of Peter.

"I know about Deadpool, I know the things that he's done. I warned Peter about him, but he decided to give him a shot anyway. It's not my place to tell him what he can and can't do."

"And you think he won't sell Peter to the highest bidder if he finds out he's Spider-Man? Or that he won't put his life at risk during one of his hallucinations? Peter's a kid, and it's your job to make sure he's not dating a psychopath," Sam spat out.

Steve's hand went up in a gesture of peace, "It's not that we don't believe you're making an educated choice here, we're just not following the reasoning behind it."

"You know what's funny?" Tony wasn't laughing and no one said anything. "A few months ago I would have agreed with you. I did send him on his way and he came back because he does whatever he wants. He's annoying, and talks too much, and has zero class or sense of etiquette. But I love my kid. More than that, I trust him. And he trusts Wade, which means so do I."

Everyone in the room shared a look; distrust, confusion, hesitancy.

Tony took up the documents and glanced over them, turning over the pages one at a time, "Trust me, if anything goes south with Deadpool I'll be the first to take him out, but right now I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. There's nothing here I don't know. The tragic backstory, Armed Forces, the cancer, his mutation. Destroying Weapon X bases, taking down trafficking rings and mafia bosses..." He continued to turn the pages, blatant in his disregard for everything written.

"Tony, we're not trying to tell you what to do," Steve started.

"But are you thinking objectively?" Natasha finished.

"He grows on you," Bruce said, "He really does. Honestly, I think Wade's as likely to hurt Peter as he is to stop calling Tony 'dad'."

Tony huffed a laugh. His eyes kept scanning the words, all of it things he'd already known about Deadpool. He fell to the parts given to them by Colossus and read a little more carefully. It was newer information, stemming from the past two years.

The word ' _hallucinations_ ' caught his attention. Sam had used it earlier, and he'd known Wade had a few moments, but he hadn't believed it to be that extreme.

Then a few more words drew his focus and the room fell silent by the look on his face.

"Friday? Call Strange. Tell him it's important." He didn't look up from the documents.

"Yes, boss."

"Tony?" Steve asked.

"Not now, Rogers."

No one said anything else. It was only a minute before Stephen was stepping into the room through a shimmering portal, Friday having given him the exact coordinates.

He glanced around the room and then his eyes fell on Tony, "If this isn't actually important, Stark, I'm changing my phone number."

Tony held out the papers for him and pointed to a specific paragraph, "Read this. Tell me you see what I see."

Stephen took them in his hands and let out a discontented sigh, "Fine." He skimmed over the words and then slowly lowered them to stare at Tony.

"You do, don't you?"

"How... That's. Odd."

Tony took back the stack of papers and asked Friday, "Pete and Wade are still upstairs right?"

"Yes, boss."

"Tell them to come down here." Friday chimed her response and Tony returned to reading.

"What's going on, Tony?" Bruce asked.

"You guys just sit tight, alright? This isn't about you anymore. This is way more important."

Steve sat down and the group remained silent to see what would play out.

It took the boys a couple of minutes to make their way down to the room. Peter pushed open the door and he flinched as it hit the wall. Wade laughed from behind him. They'd left Lilo upstairs in the hopes that this wouldn't take long.

"Oops? Sorry," he scanned the room, smiled politely to the Avengers, and walked over to Stephen to give him a hug, "Dr. Strange! What are you doing here?"

Stephen returned the hug and after drawing back, the cloak flew off his shoulders to greet Peter too.

"Hey, Cloakie!" He turned back to Wade, standing in the doorway with his head down and hands in his pockets. He wrapped a hand around his elbow to pull him a little more into the room but didn't force him to socialize. "What's up, Mr. Stark?"

"I wanted to show you something," Tony went to hand him the papers, but Wade had already been eyeing them and saw what was written.

He snapped, "Is this a roasting session then?"

Tony's hand fell, and he looked chagrined, "It's not like that. They were... unnecessarily concerned about something that wasn't their problem to begin with. It's not important. There was just something-"

"Sure," Wade said sarcastically. He tugged his arm out of Peter's grip and turned to the door.

"Wait! Wait. What is this about? I don't get it." Peter said, alarmed by his boyfriend's behaviour.

Wade spun back around, "They're warning you off me, obviously. Because I'm such a bad boy and you're the prodigal son and we wouldn't want you getting tainted would we?"

Peter took the step to close the distance between them and placed a reassuring hand on his arm to stop him from continuing on. "Just hold on a second, okay?" He whispered softly, "Let me figure this out."

"It looks worse than it is," Tony said, "but that isn't what's important. There's something I wanted you to see."

"Is it about Wade?"

He paused, "Yes," he admitted, "But not like that. This isn't about warning you off anybody."

"Then maybe he should be the one telling me. Not whatever this is."

"He won't," Stephen said.

"What do you know?" Wade snapped, "Maybe he already knows! I don't exactly have a lot of secrets."

"I know because it goes both ways. Read it, Peter."

Tony held it out to him again, "Just one part, the rest of it is between you and Wilson. You gotta trust me on this one, kiddo."

Peter held his hands out but stopped, looking at Wade for consent, "I won't if you don't want me to."

Wade threw his hands up, "May as well if it's so important! Not like there's anything like privacy with these assholes anyway."

His dismissal of the issue made him hesitate, but ultimately it was Tony's reassurance that had him grabbing the documents. He started reading where Tony pointed.

When his blood ran cold and his legs grew numb, Tony guided him to a chair. He sat heavily, reading the words over and over and over until they couldn't mean anything else. His stomach dropped and it took Wade pulling the papers out of his hand and kneeling by his side to realize he'd stopped breathing.

"I'm breathing, I am totally breathing," he said to convince no one.

He pressed his hand over Wade's heart to match his rhythm and slowly his heart rate returned to normal and he remembered how to breathe.

"Peter? Baby boy, you alright?" Wade asked, tone laced with concern.

"Yeah, yeah, totally." Peter noticed Tony's worried look and ignored it for now. "I'm fine. But you remember! Why do you remember?!" Peter pressed a long kiss to his lips and said, "I'm so sorry for scaring you. This isn't bad, I just... Oh my god, _you remember_. How is that even possible? No one's supposed to remember anything!"

Wade kept their hands locked and stood to take the seat next to his, "Remember what?"

"The-the Thanos and the spaceship and the world ending and-and..."

Wade stared, lips parted in shock.

"What the everloving _fuck_? How do you know anything about that? No one else does! The X-Fucks all thought I was hallucinating and treated me like some sort of mental patient."

Peter's face fell, a wave of sadness overtaking the panic, "I'm so sorry, Wade. This wasn't supposed to happen. You weren't supposed to remember." He turned to Stephen, "Could you look at his memories like you did with me?" He said to Wade, next, "If he looks at your memories of those two years, maybe he can figure out why you remember. Maybe he can make you forget it ever happened."

"Woah, woah, there Petey. Not sure my memories are suitable for any ages."

"Hold up for a second," They all turned to Clint, speaking up for the Avengers who were all watching the exchange with various looks of confusion. "You're not saying you think all that stuff is real, right? Fifty percent of the population gone like that and only you two remember?"

Colossus had been very in-depth about what Wade's hallucinations had consisted of and they all had a solid idea of what they thought had only occurred inside Wade's head.

"Your kids died," Wade said, tone lifeless, "All of them. And it destroyed you. Be thankful you don't have to remember that."

Clint fell silent and none of the others had objections.

"You were part of the fifty percent that lived?" Peter asked softly.

"You weren't? ... Of course you weren't. That explains a lot."

"Does it?"

"Stark came back not quite the same person he was when he left," Wade said as an explanation.

"Oh." Peter didn't want any elaboration to that.

Stephen spoke next, "As Peter was saying, I could look at your memories and I might be able to see why you remember. I may even be able to remove them completely if that's what you'd like."

Wade shrugged, and asked Peter, "I mean that'd be great, but why do you still remember? You said I wasn't supposed to, but what does that mean, exactly?"

Peter sat back in his seat and avoided all their gazes.

"You don't have to tell us, but don't you think it might be time to get it off your chest?" Tony asked. He and Stephen were both aware that Peter knew more than he was letting on but had so far refrained from pushing for answers.

"I guess so." Peter looked at the Avengers briefly, daring them to have any doubts about his next words. "The Soul Stone told me why I would remember and no one else would. It works on sacrifices. Thanos was looking to kill half the universe, and so to claim the Stone's power as his own, he had to make an equal sacrifice. He decided on his daughter's life. I don't know the logistics about what was going on in the real world, but I know you saved us."

He looked up at Tony with a never-wavering admiration in his eyes, "The only way to undo what Thanos did was to gain control of all the Stones yourself. And to fix what he did you had to make an equal sacrifice too. You probably thought it was your own life, but you didn't know what Thanos had given up in the first place. Thanos killed his daughter."

"And you're the closest thing I have to a son." Tony filled in the gap.

"Apparently," he smiled shyly, "but because you were bringing back life, it didn't need me dead. Just... broken." Peter stared down at his hands, holding back tears.

Tony knelt next to him. He placed a hand behind his neck, thumb rubbing softly behind his ear in comfort. Their eyes met, sadness and guilt in both pairs, "Guess you didn't want to tell me so I wouldn't feel like this, huh?"

Peter nodded. "It's not your fault. And it's okay, you know? I don't mind remembering so that no one else has to."

Tony pulled him down, pressing their foreheads together in a moment of intimacy he was willing to share with those around them if only to give Peter some peace of mind. The universe had decided this was his son; he was happy they were both alive to discover that.

He drew back and stood, "Alright, kiddo. How about we see what we can do for this one over here?" Tony pointed to Wade.

Peter smiled, "Sounds good. What do you think, Wade? Are you okay with Dr. Strange looking at your memories to see why you remember?"

"Anything for you, pumpkin," he tried for a grin, but there was an underlying current of seriousness in his expression that he couldn't hide.

Stephen approached him, "This is completely painless and will only take a minute. Ready?"

"Totes."

His hand glowed red and settled over his forehead. Unlike when he'd done this for Peter, there was no displaying the memories and it passed much more quickly in this manner. When the light faded, Stephen drew back and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"You're an idiot, Wilson," he said.

"Anything new to tell us?" Wade asked. He wasn't affected by insults, but his eyes still held a hint of hollow from being forced to relive two torturous years in mere seconds.

"Did you figure it out?" Peter asked as well.

"Yeah," Stephen answered, "I believe so. When Tony used the Stones to undo what Thanos did, everything moved from the current point in time back to the day everything happened. It wasn't a rewind."

"Okay," Peter prompted.

"Deadpool was likely the only person in the universe who managed to be dead when Thanos killed everyone, _and_ when Tony brought everyone back."

"Oh. Yeah, that's true," Wade had known that but hadn't pieced it together.

"Which means..." Peter was thinking, "When it brought him from point A to point B, it moved him from being dead to, well, being dead."

"Exactly. It wouldn't erase everything in the middle because there shouldn't have been anything there."

"I don't even want to know how that happened," Peter said. How did he love this man?

"Yeah, best you don't."

"There's nothing keeping me from erasing the memories. I would understand if you want to forget all of that," Stephen offered. If those were his memories, he wouldn't want to keep them.

"Why can't you do it for Peter, if that's something you can do?" Wade asked.

"Part of the rules," Peter answered for him, "The Stone's locked them in place, they aren't going anywhere."

"Oh." Wade thought it over briefly but had already made up his mind. He shrugged, "Nah, you can leave 'em. Gives me and Petey something else to bond over, other than our good looks, of course."

"We bond over plenty of things, Wade. Don't be stupid. Trust me, I wouldn't remember if I didn't have to and I know you feel the same. There's no remembering all that without-"

"Going insane? Been there, done that. But it's worse when no one else believes you. Or understands. We're both over the hard part already, so why not make it easier for both of us from here on out?"

"But you weren't supposed to remember in the first place!"

"When has Wade ever not been the outlier?" Tony pointed out.

"That's not the point."

Wade stood, took Peter's hand, and pulled him to his feet, "Why don't we argue about this upstairs and leave all these lovely folks to their roast?"

"Fine," Peter agreed, "Nothing else to add, I presume?"

Tony shook his head, "Off you go."

"Let me know if he changes his mind."

"Will do, thanks, Dr.Strange! Bye, Cloakie!"

Wade tugged him out of the room to head back upstairs. Tony turned back to the Avengers and stared for a moment but no one said anything.

"Well? Anything else to say?"

Steve stood, "It might be best if we just go."

"I agree." Tony stood aside and let them walk out without another word.

Bruce shot him a reassuring smile and Tony returned it gratefully. "Later, Bruce. Come by for dinner, we're ordering Greek."

"Sure, I'll see you later." He waved at Stephen and followed the others out of the room.

When it was just the two of them, Tony turned to Stephen and asked because he couldn't help himself, "What was it like?"

"Terrible," Stephen answered honestly. "In short, you came back to earth, gathered some resources, and flew back to space to fight Thanos. The Avengers were all with you. Wade, too."

"Doesn't sound that awful."

Stephen hummed in answer.

Wade had seen half the universe grieve in unison for all the loved ones they'd lost in a matter of seconds. It was chaos. So few knew what had happened and spreading the news took time. Then Tony returned to earth a different man than when he'd left.

Now, Wade knew what had happened to cause it, but at the time the world could only watch as its defender fell into a frenzy, pulling the nations together and gathering resources to build a spaceship to take him wherever Thanos could be found. He'd lost his mind, angry and grieving too, but with the power to take control.

The nations had no choice and fell into order beneath him. The Avengers sided with him and those with powers stood by him; Wakanda gave him all the vibranium he asked for. There was no stopping the man who wanted vengeance for the son he'd been made to watch die.

Stephen chose not to share that. They were struggling enough with what had transpired in the Stone without either Tony or Peter knowing what had become of the beloved Iron Man after failing to stop Thanos.

"Guess I don't want to know, huh?"

"You really don't."

"Think I've had enough revelations for one day anyway."

Tony had mostly stopped drinking, for his own health and to try and lead by example when it came to Peter, but that night he sat in his lab with a whiskey bottle and a glass.

He was the one who'd done this to his own kid. He'd _sacrificed_ him; his health, his mental stability, his life in all but heartbeat. What kind of monster did that make him? Peter assumed that he hadn't known what the sacrifice would entail, but what if he had? What if he'd made that decision deliberately?

He'd gotten Peter out of the Stone, but at what cost?

The world was safe. Peter was better. His life was going back on course.

But the memory of those first few days after Peter had woken up the sole person to remember the end of the world was enough for him to wonder if maybe half the universe was better off gone.

When Peter found him, he was too far into the bottle to see straight, but not so much to be worrisome. He watched him pour the whiskey down the drain, silent and methodical.

He linked their arms and guided him to his bedroom. He helped him lie in bed and pulled the blankets over him. Tony would pretend he didn't remember this happened in the morning, and Peter wouldn't bring it up.

"You know, someday you're gonna have to accept that you're not as bad of a dad as you think you are. I wouldn't trade you for anyone else. Even Captain America." Peter shut the lights, "Night, dad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun... 
> 
> Wade also remembers? What did you all think of this little plot twist? It's not something I do much in my stories because I'm not very good at them, but I'd love to get your thoughts! Did you see it coming, was it too far-fetched?
> 
> Also, poor Tony angst. I love my sweet boys.
> 
> I won't be posting for a bit f.y.i. I will be on vaycay for a week. Unfortunate timing since there isn't much left for me to write, I think, but we'll see how it goes!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter today. This is something I managed to write up today before I leave for vacation. I felt there was a bit more to add to the previous chapter and this leaves it at a better point for you guys before I hop into the last 'arc' I have planned.
> 
> This takes up from the last chapter where Wade and Peter go back upstairs after discovering he knows everything about the alternate timeline. It adds their p.o.v and extends the later scene a bit more.
> 
> You'll see.

Inevitably, Peter caved and stopped trying to convince Wade to get his memories removed. Once he'd brought up the obvious.

"If the Magic Man could suddenly remove your memories, and not mine, would you? Knowing that I'd still know?"

"Irrelevant."

But it was and Peter gave up. They burnt their adrenaline through other means and lay cuddled in bed, warm and sated. There was still a couple of hours until dinner and neither of them had plans to get out of bed until then. Tony wouldn't be bothering them; Peter knew how his mind worked well enough to know he'd be in the lab over-thinking things. He'd check in on him if he didn't make it up for dinner.

He loved his Greek food, after all.

"What happened after you died?" Wade asked, "Were you in some sort of afterlife? You obviously remember _something."_

"We didn't die, exactly. I don't know why. I know that was Thanos' intention, but I guess that's not how the Stones work? Everyone's souls were trapped inside the Soul Stone instead. Which might be some sort of afterlife, if you think of it that way." Peter hadn't put much thought into it.

"Ignore how dickish this sounds, but how did that give you PTSD? I mean the dying part, sure, but if you were all together then it doesn't seem so bad."

"We weren't all together," Peter corrected, unbothered by how it sounded because he knew Wade couldn't always formulate his thoughts into politically correct sentences.

"Then what happened?"

"The Stone... put everyone to sleep. Almost everyone."

"Except you."

"Except me."

"Oh."

"Dr. Strange was there with me. For a while. Three months or so. I don't know what I would have done without him, honestly. I think I would have lost my mind. More than I did, anyway. And Cloakie was awake too. It's some sort of really old magic and wasn't affected by the Stone and was actually able to remember everything too. That helped a lot. We couldn't talk, but it was company."

"So that's why he's always around." Wade had been caught off-guard when Peter had initially introduced him to Stephen; a literal wizard who wasn't an Avenger. He and Stark seemed to have their own tension thing going on and the relationship hadn't made sense. When he'd asked, Peter had shrugged it off. "What did it look like? In the Stone."

Peter was resting his head on Wade's chest and at the question moved to his back, staring at the ceiling. The lights were dimmed until only his superhero night lights were brightening the room. Wade loved it. He'd never talked about what it been like inside the Stone before. Tony and Stephen had seen it for themselves and had required no recounting on Peter's part.

"It was dark," he started, "Kind of like being in a dream. I was floating in this never-ending darkness, except all these people, all their souls, were shining. Like stars. It was like being inside one of those kid drawings, where they make the sky all dark with little yellow dots for the stars. It wasn't the real sky, but it felt like it. I could talk. If I screamed it would echo. If I got close enough, I could make out people's faces. They were all sleeping and no matter how much I shook them or screamed, they wouldn't wake up. When Dr. Strange fell asleep, I thought I'd be next. But I never was."

"Why?"

Peter shrugged, "I think the Stone knew what was going to happen. They're so powerful, right? It needed me to suffer so that my sacrifice would be worth saving the world."

"As your boyfriend, I would choose you over half the universe, but I know you wouldn't want that. And I'll be honest, even though I don't think it's worth it, the universe would thank you for the sacrifice."

"That's what keeps me going," Peter admitted, "Sometimes I wish I didn't have to have all these memories. I wonder; why me? Why not someone else? Why not someone stronger? But at the end of the day, I'm here. I have people who love me. I'm better off than someone else might have been. And I wouldn't want anyone else to suffer on my behalf."

"That's because you're too selfless. And that's why you're the best superhero. Even without the suit."

Peter looked over at Wade, meeting his loving gaze with his own. He smiled warmly and brought a hand up to his cheek, brushing a finger across his skin.

"What happened down here?"

"Bad shit," Wade answered, "I don't want you to know."

"Tell me a little bit. Just enough."

"Nobody knew what was going on. Rogers had to go on the news and tell everyone about how they'd failed. How half the universe was gone. Stark was a few marbles loose when he came back."

' _If he were a few marbles loose, Stark could legit take over the world in seconds._ ' Wade had once told him. It had seemed like a strange comment. Now he knew.

"I joined Stark, because what else was I going to do? Everyone else with a smidge of power joined too. We built a spaceship out of vibranium and took to the skies. A talking raccoon and Thor guided us."

Wade remembered. Tony, eyes wild and hair disheveled, took to the news and threatened. The government gave him control. The Supers knelt to him.

' _Do you think only Thanos' children can get into Wakanda? Think again. Your king is dead. Give me what I need and I will bring him back. Don't and I'll kill myself trying and I'm taking all you fuckers with me._ '

He built the greatest, strongest ship anyone had ever seen.

Wade and Clint had taken to his sides as guards. There were rebels at every corner, those scared, those who wanted to take this opportunity to seize the world for themselves. He had bonded with Clint, devastated and almost as wild as Tony after the loss of his children.

Half the world gone should have lead to half the problems gone with it, right? No. Half was a... strange term.

It was not half the politicians. Half the doctors. Half the men. Half the women.

It was one-third children, two-thirds adults. Left with more children than adults to care for them.

One-third medical staff, two-thirds farmers. Enough people to heal, not enough to feed. People were beginning to starve. Resources were dying out, canned foods the new normal.

One-fourth of urban dwellers, three-fourths of rural areas gone. The cities were full of cars with no drivers and apartments with no residents.

Within a month the world realized the split was not even. And that's when Tony had returned and took matters into his own hands.

"I didn't want him to blame himself," Peter said about Tony. "But he did, didn't he?"

"I'm afraid so. No one knew what happened to break him like that. Looking back now, it all makes sense."

"I'm glad he doesn't remember."

"Me too."

It was a shared pain, which in the end had been the point of the sacrifice.

Tony made it up to dinner, but Peter saw the darkness in the shadow of his eyes and knew to check up on him later. They had their Greek, Bruce and Stephen joining them and then parting for their own duties. It was a quiet affair, a lot in the air that no one was willing to discuss quite yet.

Wade cracked some jokes and the mood lightened enough for it to be an enjoyable dinner.

Then everyone dispersed and the two boys settled in the living room to watch some movies. As the hours passed with no sign of Tony, he told Wade to head to bed where he'd meet him after checking up on his mentor and apparent father figure.

He knew where Tony would be but was disappointed by the state he found him in. He took the bottle of liquor from his shaking left hand and poured it down the drain.

"Hey, kiddo," Tony was a master of faking sobriety. "Or should I be calling you son, now?"

"You can call me whatever you want." He left the empty bottle in the sink and went around to stand by Tony. He linked their arms and helped him stand, "You're getting too old to be drinking like this, Mr. Stark."

"Certainly not feeling young with you calling me Mr. Stark."

"Fine. Tony. _Dad_. Whatever. Just be a little more cooperative here." Peter tugged his arm and he slowly walked beside him, feet not listening as they should.

"S'weird too."

They finally made it to the elevator and Friday needed no instructions.

"Does it bother you that much? That the universe thinks I'm your son?"

Despite his state, Tony caught the underlying insecurity to the question and shook his head, "Not weird like that. Never thought I'd have a kid. Any kind of kid. Let alone a good kid. Always thought I'd raise another Howard. Another me."

The doors opened and they started down the hall. His own bedroom door was closed and he hoped Wade wouldn't hear Tony like this.

"You're not like that," Peter denied vehemently, "I'm happy to have you in my life."

"Shouldn't be. I sacrificed you. Like a... like a..." Tony couldn't finish the comparison and ended up with, "Bad dad. Howard would'a done it."

They made it to the bedroom.

"If you keep thinking you're anything like Howard Stark, I'm forcing you into family therapy. Or an intervention where we all sit around in a circle drinking mimosa while telling you how much we love you. There'd be more people than you'd think, you stubborn old man."

Tony flopped on the bed and moved to let Peter set the blankets over his body.

He wouldn't remember any of this conversation in the morning; only that Peter had brought him out of the lab and tucked him in.

"Between remembering all that shit and being dead, I'd rather remember. I wouldn't have this. I wouldn't have Wade. I wouldn't have Lilo and all the things that make this life worth living." Peter leaned down and kissed his forehead. His aunt May did it to him all the time when she wanted to show her love. Tony did too; when he thought Peter was asleep.

"You know, someday you're gonna have to accept that you're not as bad of a dad as you think you are. I wouldn't trade you for anyone else. Even Captain America." Peter shut the lights, "Night, dad."

Tony would remember that last bit in the morning and would vow to do better. Peter had spent so much time trying to make him proud, it was time to return the sentiment.

When Peter returned to his own bedroom, he slipped into pajamas and then into Wade's awaiting arms.

"How's Iron Dad?"

"Blaming himself."

"It's genetic, I see."

"Shut up, Wade," Peter said on reflex. "We'll figure it out."

"The hard part's already over, the rest'll be smooth sailing."

Peter hummed in agreement.

"I have a question for you."

"Shoot. I'll answer 90% of questions."

"What's the ten percent?"

"Never ask a lady about her skincare routine or her age."

Peter laughed, "What about weight? Isn't that a no-go?"

"That's no secret. I'm 200 pounds of pure muscle just for your viewing pleasure, baby."

"Of course, of course."

"So what's your question?"

"In retrospect, the timing was really weird and now that I know you remembered all that happened... What _did_ you think happened to Spider-Man?"

"Yoo!" Wade enthused, clearly happy to be asked that question, "I was so fucked up, you have no idea. It took a while before I realized you were missing because the X-Fucks were trying to lock me in a padded room and talk to a therapist because I had obviously lost my mind, but when I figured out you were MIA I started digging. The timing was _way_ too coincidental, but I couldn't find you to ask you about it, and when I found out you were Spider-Man, it was obvious that something had gone down in the same timeframe but you didn't mention any of that so I had to believe it was just a coincidence."

"Why didn't you ask?"

"I tried, but you weren't up for talking about whatever happened to you and I didn't want to push. And well... If you didn't remember any of it, I didn't want you to think I was hallucinating too. I wasn't up for risking it."

"I would have believed you."

"I like to think that too."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that alone. I wish I'd known... I never believed that there would be someone else that remembers all that. That's not how it was supposed to work."

"I know. I used to think life was playing a cruel joke on me. A joke on crazy boy over here who no one would believe, who couldn't forget even with a bullet in his head."

Peter's hand reached up and he rubbed his fingers over his head, over his skull where he knew the bullets would have pierced through. He knew Wade's usual aim; in his most depressed moods, he'd swing a gun around his own way, sometimes placing the edge between his teeth, sometimes pressed so hard against his temple it should bruise. It always hurt to see him like that, and he'd take his hand and whisper to him until he'd drop the weapon.

Usually, he'd follow it up with a mission out of town to burn through the feelings raging inside himself.

"I quite like your head, and its insides, where they are right now."

Wade kissed him hard, tongue slipping into his mouth and body curling on top of Peter's. He was always flattered by the strangest compliments. Peter loved the look he'd get in his eyes, like his words alone were magic and had washed away all of Wade's self-doubt. He'd wake him up with a ' _good morning, handsome_ ' and that shy smile made him want to relive that moment over and over, knowing it would never lose its value.

He was pliant under his strong hands, removing his clothes and moving down to press kisses over the revealed skin.

Wade enjoyed just about anything and everything that could be done in the bedroom, or outside of it, and was always keen on teaching Peter new things. But tonight Wade was fixed on being tender, expressing his love through actions as he did for all his emotions. He explored his body with his mouth and tongue and held him tightly.

Peter could only sit back and enjoy it; as if that was difficult.

Finally, for both of them, there were no more secrets. None that would weigh as heavily on their shoulders. It was a sense of freedom, of camaraderie in a battle they didn't know they were both fighting.

His dream that night was filled with light and no stars. A beach surrounded by his loved ones. Wade by his side, stretched out on a beach blanket with a dollop of sunscreen on his nose. Tony was barbequing pork chops (he did not stop to ponder why there was a random grill on the sandy beach) with Rhodey by his side telling him what to do and Tony ignoring him.

The grill was on fire, but no one was panicked. It was normal in the science world.

Bruce and Helen Cho were standing out with their feet in the sea, the water lapping their ankles. Their heads were close and they were looking over a Starkpad. Peter could hear them discussing their projects; the words were dream garbled, but sleeping Peter was entranced by their genius anyway.

His aunt May and Pepper were there too. They sat on long beach chairs to his left, magazines in their laps and gossiping about their co-workers. They were holding a glass of wine and their cheeks were red wine pink. They were laughing and happy. May met his gaze and blew him a kiss.

He woke up with a smile on his lips, wrapped like an octopus around Wade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I would love to hear your thoughts of the past two chapters!
> 
> Cheers! I'll start up on the next part as soon as I'm back home and hopefully the next part won't be too far out :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple people asked about Ned, and after coming back from my trip I thought I'd write up something short about what happened with him for those who wanted to know and to dip my hands back in the story before the last little bit.
> 
> Please enjoy :)

Ned, like almost everyone else in the universe, did not remember the alternate timeline that Peter had lived through.

When he was seventeen and heading for their field trip, he wondered why Peter hadn't shown up and had sent text after text; only getting a neutral response from his AI later that evening. The news didn't have anything worrisome to say in general, and even less about Spider-Man.

He could only imagine it was some top secret Avengers mission and was waiting anxiously to hear the stories that would come from it.

A couple days of silence later, he was invited to the Tower after school and was even driven by Happy who didn't complain once. The message had come from Peter's phone but had lacked his usual optimism leaving Ned worrying. The friend who had never been able to lie to him couldn't do so now, not when the truth was life changing, and not in a good way.

They huddled in Peter's room with the lights on and Ned held him as he cried. There were some things he couldn't say, but there was enough to understand the depths of pain he was suffering.

Peter never went back to school after that. MJ looked at Ned questioningly but refused to ask, Flash poked fun while hiding his worry. The other students started rumours that Ned quelled as best as he could with the help of the teachers who knew that he wouldn't be returning and were working to help him graduate around regular hours.

It was a long two years; there were days where Peter wouldn't answer his texts, or couldn't bring himself to, and weeks where they wouldn't see each other when they had spent most of their lives seeing each other nearly every day. Ned understood and gave him his space and did his best to keep in touch while being away at college in another state.

Over video chats, they shared the going-on's of their lives. Ned was doing well at school but missed his best friend. Peter told him about moving to the Tower and his fear that one day Tony would decide it was too much and send him back to his aunt's. He told him about the moments of time he'd lose, how he wondered how much of his life he was actually missing without knowing it. Then there was Wade, the boyfriend Ned researched because the hesitation Peter showed when he asked if he was a Superhero was concerning.

That had been reason enough for him to reach out to Tony directly, using the personal line he'd been given solely for emergencies, and inquire about Peter's current mental state. He was the kind of person to give people second chances, but the name Deadpool had brought up one too many results of dead people for him not to want to check in.

Thankfully, Tony hadn't been upset by his abuse of the personal line and had taken the time to reassure him that Peter was perfectly fine and was just being his usual overly forgiving self.

Over the following months of having to hear about this new boyfriend, because the honeymoon phase was a thing, Ned was inclined to believe this Wade character wasn't so bad.

Then there were talks about the ex-Avengers signing new Accords and that had been its own can of worms.

Things were never simple in Peter's world, Ned had learned long ago, and as fun as it was to hear his stories as an outsider, there was always that sense of relief that he got to go home and sit around not worrying about anything without trailing guilt.

"I don't think I can ever be Spider-Man again," Peter admitted for the first time a couple of months after his return from the Stone. "Every time I look at the suit... I get so scared. Me and Mr. Stark were talking about it today, he thinks maybe someday I'll be up to it. He can still be Iron Man even after everything he's gone through, but I don't think I'm that strong."

"You don't owe the world anything, Peter. If anything, the world owes _you_ for all you've done already. Just... take care of yourself. That's more important."

"Than saving lives?" He sounded defeated. Guilty. Angry.

"Yes," Ned answered firmly, "Take it from your best friend. You can do plenty good as Peter Parker, Spider-Man was just extra."

He was silent for a breath and looked away from the computer's camera to say, "Sometimes I don't think there's anything of Peter Parker left. Sometimes it feels like my soul is still trapped in that stupid Stone and this is just the shell it spat out."

Ned knew this was the first he'd said of this to anyone. Peter tried to keep things from May and Tony when he shouldn't.

"Do you feel that way a lot?"

Peter shrugged.

"Have you reconsidered the therapist? This sounds like the sort of thing you should be telling a professional." It wasn't that Ned didn't want to talk about it; it was that he had no idea what to say.

"I've already got you," Peter deflected with a smile.

Ned huffed a breath but knew he'd be reading psychology papers after the call was done to learn the right words to say. The signs he should be looking for.

"Have you had thoughts about..." he hesitated to ask and Peter caught on.

"No, nothing like that. Sorry, I'm being weird, aren't I?"

"You know I just worry about you, that's all."

Ned came home for the summers and they spent as much time together as Peter was comfortable with. He got to meet Lilo early on, falling in love as quickly as everyone else that met her. Meeting Wade was an experience. If they'd been younger and Peter hadn't gone through all that trauma, Ned was pretty sure he'd be jealous of their relationship, but growing up meant he knew that Peter could love them both in their own ways at the same time.

"Petey made me watch all those Star Wars movies. I told him next time you do one of those cosplay things that I gotta be Leia and he can be my Han Solo."

"That makes you Luke Skywalker." Peter flashed Ned a smile and he laughed.

There were shadows of trauma in Wade's face and stance beneath the scarred skin and layered clothing. Ned didn't have a psychology degree but had done his research as he'd promised himself he would to care for his friend. He was happy and relieved that Peter had found someone who could relate to him in ways Ned couldn't.

Then came the hesitant, "I think I love him."

"Obviously."

And the even more hesitant, "when we were falling... I miss it, Ned. I really miss it. Swinging through the city, helping people, using these powers for good instead of wasting them doing nothing."

"Have you put the suit on again?" He asked curiously.

"No, but I want to. I think someday I might be able to."

"I'm sure the old ladies are all missing their strong Spider-Boy who helped them cross the streets."

"Exactly!" Peter laughed.

They chatted for a while longer, Ned telling him about his classes and some of his more obnoxious classmates. They seemed trivial matters in comparison to everything Peter had to talk about, but his friend showed interest in what he had to say and he kept on with his stories.

In a few weeks, he'd be home again. He wondered what new things Peter would have to tell him then.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really sure how this ended up so long, but here we go!
> 
> Also BAMF!Peter in this one. Enjoy :)

Their first mission together as a group goes, unsurprisingly, horribly wrong.

Tony should have stuck to his guns and stayed home; it was a relatively simple mission. But Bruce had insisted it would be a good opportunity to rebuild their camaraderie. They needed to work as a team, whether or not they liked each other. He'd even offered to join, not as the Hulk, but as backup should anyone get injured.

Due to its simplicity, it had only been the five of them. Him and Bruce, with Steve, Natasha, and Clint. Like the early Avenger days.

Wanda and Vision were away on an extended vacation, Rhodey was in Washington doing important things that Tony couldn't pretend to care about, Sam had turned down the mission in favour of something or other Tony disregarded, and Thor was still up in space taking care of his people (although he made an attempt to come visit every few months for drinks and gossip).

They hadn't needed more than the five of them anyway.

Yet all they had done was be uncomfortable, exchange awkward instructions, and then return home missing one team member.

Natasha guided the jet back to Stark Tower in the hopes that they could use Tony's tech to find him. The Compound was equipped with a dumbed down version of Friday; it didn't need to be said aloud that it was to keep them out of her real coding.

Bruce sat with his face in his hands taking long, deep breaths to calm himself. It was supposed to be an empty alien weapon cache and they were tasked with gathering everything and sending it off to Damage Control for proper disposal. It hadn't been empty and Tony hadn't been in the suit.

She landed the jet efficiently and they asked Friday to take them down to one of Tony's office floors where she could have access to some computers. Before bothering with that, Steve spoke to the AI.

"Friday, Tony was captured on the mission. Do you have any means of tracking him?"

"Yes, Captain Rogers."

"Can you get his current location?"

"Yes, Captain Rogers," she repeated politely.

There was a pause as Steve waited for her to add to that, but she didn't.

"What's his current location?"

"You are not authorized to access this information," she replied crisply.

Another pause as they all looked around at each other. Clint crossed his arms over his chest and Natasha frowned, but none of them said anything. It was Bruce that piped up next.

"Am I authorized to get this information?" He asked hesitantly.

"I'm afraid not, Dr. Banner," she sounded genuinely regretful.

Bruce didn't care enough to be offended by whatever access he was granted to the Tower and Friday, but he could tell the other three were annoyed by the current predicament. Natasha didn't turn back to the computers; if they could track Tony directly, that would be far easier, and faster, than her trying to find him any other way.

"We need that information, Friday," Steve said, voice firm, "It's to save Tony. There has to be a way around this."

"No, Captain Rogers. Accessing the Boss' personal tracker is a high-level request due to its sensitivity."

"We get that, but it's pretty useless for him to have a tracker if it can't be used to find him when he goes missing," Clint snapped.

"Um, Friday? Who _does_ have access to this info?" Bruce asked.

"That information is classified."

He pursed his lips and thought for a second. "Okay. Can you contact someone that has this access and notify them that Tony's gone missing?"

"Request completed."

"Thank you," Bruce said to the AI, and turned to the other Avengers, "Now we wait."

"Wait? For what?" Steve asked.

"I have an idea who has the access we need."

"Peter," Natasha said plainly and Bruce nodded.

"But why would his ward have a higher access level than the Avengers? That seems backward," Steve said. He was frowning and Bruce wondered if he was offended by the revelation.

"We all know Peter isn't just a ward," Bruce pointed out, "Besides, Tony prefers to go off trust rather than expectations."

Steve remained silent as he could hear Peter's noisy steps approaching and wasn't really in the mood to talk about trust.

He burst through the door with Wade at his heels like an overexcited puppy. The actual dog was trailing behind both of them. The door hit the wall with a bang and it startled more than one of the room's occupants.

"For fuck's sake, kid," Clint said with a hand over his heart. He was trying to tease, but Peter's expression was wild and fierce and not up for it.

"Friday told me you guys just got back and that Mr. Stark wasn't with you and now she's saying that he's missing and you needed me for something? What's going on? What happened? Where is he?"

Steve held up a hand to cut off his rambling, but it was Bruce that stood to speak, "We were at this underground cache and we got ambushed. He wasn't wearing the suit since there shouldn't have been anyone there. They knocked him out and there were these underground tunnels and we couldn't follow after them. We came back here hoping we could use Friday to track him."

Peter's lips parted and closed a couple times before he could settle on his words, "And? Can she?"

"Yes," Bruce said, "But she can't give just anyone his location, for security reasons. We're hoping you can get the information."

"Oh right, yeah of course. Friday? Can you give me his location?"

"Yes, Peter. You have clearance to access the Boss' tracker at all times."

"Right," Peter looked over at Wade, looking for guidance and getting a shrug. This was on him. His hands clenched at his sides; he was furious. He tried to tamper down the feeling because right now Tony was priority. He couldn't keep the bite out of his words, "Fine. Send the coordinates to the suit along with his vitals or anything else you can get off him."

"Request complete."

"We off to save Irondad?" Wade asked, sounding cautiously optimistic. Peter appreciated that he automatically included himself.

"We can take the jet-" Steve started, but Peter held up a hand to stop him much as he'd done to him minutes earlier.

"No. You aren't coming. _You_ were supposed to protect him out there and clearly, you're incapable. Or you don't care enough to look out for him. Frankly, I don't give a shit. I'm gonna go rescue him and you guys can rot here for all I care," he snapped, eyes narrowed and cold. He tacked on, "Sorry, Dr. Banner."

"None taken, Peter," he muttered.

"Hey, kid, that's not-" Clint tried but was instantly turned down.

"Don't waste your breath. You guys came back without him. I won't," Peter turned to Wade, "Suit up and join me at the jet?"

"Anything for you sweetcheeks." Wade grinned and skipped out of the room.

Peter looked at the Avengers for a long moment; no one said anything likely in fear of whatever he'd have to say to them in response. Later, he might realize he'd been too harsh on them, had made some strong accusations that weren't truly founded, but all he could think about was them leaving Tony behind and his heart beat wildly with rage.

He turned on his heel and walked out of the room with a simple, "Come, Lilo."

Then he called out to the AI, "Friday? Can you send a message to Dr. Strange and see if he can join us? If he agrees, let him know to meet us at the jet in a couple of minutes."

"Yes, Peter."

He thanked her and took the elevator down. Wade had begun leaving spare things at the Tower, including a suit and toothbrush, due to the frequency of his visits. He'd be up in Peter's room getting dressed. Peter, in turn, had to go to Tony's lab for what he was looking for.

Among prototypes and a spare Iron Man suit was a glass case containing a unique creation that had so far gone unused. Peter remembered using it once; knew that two years ago Tony had kept it on his person in case of emergency but had intended it as an 18th birthday gift.

Peter had worn it before he turned eighteen and if it weren't for Tony's paranoia he might have died before even making it inside the flying space doughnut.

In this new timeline where Thanos had never killed them all and Peter was too frightened of his suit to wear it, Tony had put it away because Peter had made him. At the time, he'd thought he'd never make use of it, but there was nothing like fearing for a loved one's safety to erase all other fear.

The Iron Spider suit was beautiful. Intuitive. The second suit made from Tony's nanotech; only one of two things in the world with that technology.

It was still maintained, still ready to be worn at any time. Despite spending a lot of time telling Peter he should be focusing on school and friends and being a teenager, Tony had always known that he'd never be able to resist the draw of being a superhero. Of saving lives with the powers he was given by chance.

With a press of his hand on the palm reader set at the base of the glass case, it beeped once and a green light appeared. The front glass panel slid down and suddenly there was nothing standing between him and the suit.

The red and gold shone brightly, brilliantly.

It felt smooth in his hands. Familiar.

He slipped off his clothes and without command, being the most genius piece of technology Peter would likely ever get his hands on, it wrapped around him seamlessly like a second skin. The mask covered his face and it took him a few blinks to get used to the words flickering across the screen embedded in the fabric over his eyes as the AI activated.

"Hello, Peter."

"Karen! I thought Mr. Stark said you weren't in this suit?"

It was meant to be a more 'mature' suit, according to Tony, and one that wouldn't babysit him as much. One with an AI that worked a lot more like Friday who took orders rather than made suggestions.

"It was not the intention when the suit was designed, but the Boss transferred my programming over with the idea that when you decided to use the suit again, you would prefer the familiarity."

"He really knew I was going to put it on again, didn't he?" Peter huffed a laugh. He put his clothes on his work table, next to Tony's and cluttered with school books and an in-the-works robot.

"Yes," she said simply.

The elevator stopped at their floor so that Peter could drop off Lilo. His mask drew back into the suit so he could pepper kisses over her face. He hugged her, pressing his face into her fur and hoping to take her presence with him into the mission. He'd bring back Tony and he'd be brave while doing it. He could do this.

With a simple command, she stayed where she sat as he went back into the elevator to be brought all the way to the roof. Both Wade and Stephen were waiting for him by the jet that the Avengers had landed not long ago.

"Dr. Strange! You made it!" He waved excitedly and the cloak waved back.

Stephen nodded in greeting, "Yes, Friday informed me of the situation and I thought you might appreciate the assistance."

"Absolutely," Peter smiled warmly. Wade was practically vibrating with energy beside him and Peter could only sigh, "Go on then, get it out of your system."

Wade's hands gestured wildly for a moment before finding a couple of words, "You're so... _hot_." It was said in reverent awe that had Peter blushing and holding back a smile. Wade pressed a masked kiss to his cheek and then walked into the awaiting jet while singing softly under his breath.

At least one of them was happy about all of this.

Friday had already started up the jet for them in anticipation of their arrival. Peter sat behind the console and pressed a couple of buttons to get it going. With a request, the tracker information was transferred from the suit to the jet. The GPS lit up with its new destination. It was a two-hour flight south-west and Peter didn't have the patience for that.

"Dr. Strange, do you think you could open a portal big enough for the jet to get through so that we can get closer?"

"How close?"

Peter didn't even hesitate, "Close enough to crash this jet into their faces."

Wade cheered from where he sat at his right.

And from his left, Stephen warned, "Would you not prefer a more stealthy approach? We don't know who these people are."

"No, I want them to see us coming," his hands gripped the steering tightly, "I want them to know that anyone who fucks with Tony Stark has to deal with a pissed off Spider-Man."

"I see," Stephen left it at that.

No enemy on earth could be as daunting as the memories of fighting Thanos on an alien planet, and they'd been mostly a group of strangers then. With a glance to the GPS to see where they needed to go, Stephen spread his arms wide and a portal shimmered into existence in front of the jet. The auto-pilot guided them through and they were met with a forest that stretched out for miles. In the midst of trees was a two-story building made of metal; Peter was pretty certain that the underground tunnels the Avengers had mentioned had a path to this building. Probably others too.

They must have been using the underground pathways, left over from old mines, to smuggle weapons.

"Can you tell if Tony is in the building or is he still underground?"

It wasn't a big building and painted a gross orange could have been mistaken for a dingy motel.

"The Boss is currently below ground," Friday answered.

"Good. Does this thing come equipped with guns or rockets or something?"

"I got guns!" Wade twirled his currently harmless guns; the rubber bullets were about as effective as paintballs, but if he got them in the eye or throat it could still be good fun.

"No, Peter, this jet is not equipped with the weapons you're looking for. This one is for travel purposes only."

"Fine, we'll drop in then."

He stood from his seat and the three of them walked over to the jet's entryway. His mask slipped over his face once more and the door opened, the building not far below.

A bullet hit the underside of the jet and the sound echoed around them.

"They know we're here," Stephen commented dryly, "Do be careful. I'd rather not be tasked with explaining to May how you got killed trying to save Tony."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine."

"So what's the action plan?" Wade asked, shoving his guns back in their holsters and bouncing on his toes in excitement.

"Stick together. Find Tony. Don't kill anyone."

"Not great at planning ahead are you?" Wade was joking, but Peter could only shrug.

"I've heard that before. Alright, let's go."

No one in the building, watching with guns at the ready, were prepared to see Spider-Man leap out of the jet and flip down onto the building with the grace of a gymnast. They were even less prepared to see Deadpool and Dr. Strange (who they didn't actually recognize) follow after him with their own variance of elegance. Wade's ankles broke but quickly resorted themselves.

There was no one on the roof, but Peter could hear people scurrying on the floor beneath them. Knowing the other two would follow after him, he let himself focus solely on locating Tony. His suit was locked into his location, tracker in the top left of his vision directing him, and there was only going down at this point.

The roof didn't have a way into the building, not that he'd use it, and Peter knelt down and punched through the layer of cement separating them to the floor below. It gave way easily beneath his strength and he tore at the edge of the hole he'd created to widen it enough for him to slip through.

After that, it was a whirlwind of webs and punches and rubber bullets and portals. The men weren't enhanced in any way, guns their only weapon, and they left them knocked out or tied up in various places around the building. There were a couple dozen of them, and the rooms were mostly occupied by old dusty desks and chairs.

On the first floor, they found a fridge with food and dirty dishes, and a couple of rooms with slept in beds. It was a resting place and Peter knew all the illegal things would be found below dirt. At this time, he couldn't care any less about the alien tech.

The tracker showed Tony getting further, slowly, and his heart raced in fear that he might be taken away before he could get to him. He couldn't fail, not like the Avengers had.

"I'm going down, you guys keep working on these assholes."

Peter didn't wait for them to respond; he broke through the floor again to get passed the men approaching them from the proper path to the underground tunnel and left the other two behind to watch his back.

The walls were dirt and rocks, dug out probably decades ago. Large metal crates were stacked high and Peter ignored them to follow the little arrow pointing him towards Tony. There were lights on the walls with strings of electrical cords trailing across the floor and they lit up the tunnels barely enough to see a few feet ahead of him. Without the tracker, he would have had no idea which path to take. He could hear wheels on dirt, but the echoes were inconsistent and he couldn't pinpoint its origin.

It wasn't a horse-drawn carriage that he found, nor a sort of buggy. It was likely better described as a cart, pushed by several men. Tony was inside of it, unconscious.

He dealt with the men easily; for some reason, none of them were using the alien tech itself. There was a sense of oddness to the situation he couldn't shake, but Tony was more important. Tony was forefront to all his thoughts.

From this distance, he strained his ears to listen and hoped, prayed, that the heartbeat he was hearing was Tony's.

When they all lay defeated at his feet, he stepped over to the immobile cart and the mask withdrew so he could look at his father figure with his own eyes. His fingers pressed into the side of his neck to find a steady pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked relatively unharmed other than the bruise forming around his left eye. He could be mistaken for sleeping. On his right wrist remained a fancy watch that Peter knew could activate part of the Iron Man suit. That didn't make any sense.

"Mr. Stark? You gotta... you gotta wake up now." His hand moved from his neck to his shoulder to shake him lightly. "Tony?... Dad? Please... no..."

The tears happened before he could even process them. His vision flickered from an unconscious Tony to an unconscious Stephen, both with their eyes closed but one who's wouldn't open again. Could it be two? His hands shook and he sensed the oncoming panic attack with a dreaded familiarity.

"Please don't do this," he whispered.

It was so dark.

Stephen had left him trapped in the Stone all on his own. But he wasn't trapped anymore. He was alive. They were both alive. Tony would wake up.

Stephen hadn't.

A hand fell on his shoulder and the lack of spidey sense was tell enough.

"Peter? Baby? He's okay, I promise he's okay. He's breathing." Wade moved to his side and pointed to the rise and fall of his chest and then to a small red hole at the bottom of his neck, "They drugged him with something, but he'll wake up."

Stephen slipped in on the other side of the cart and waved a glimmering hand over Tony's face. He met Peter's teary gaze and confirmed Wade's words, "General anesthesia. He'll need to be monitored to ensure he won't experience an overdose, but so far all appears well."

"He'll wake up?"

"Yes, Peter," Stephen said kindly.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

_He will save you. I promise you that_ , Stephen had told him back in the Stone when he'd asked about their rescue. Stephen hadn't broken his promise then. He wouldn't now; he had to trust.

"Okay."

Peter carried him out of the tunnels and into the jet. He rested him on the bench against the wall and placed a blanket from its storage under his head for comfort. He sat on the floor beside him and rested his forehead against the edge of the bench.

Stephen sat opposite them and Wade took to the wheel to get them home.

"Would you prefer a portal?" Stephen asked.

"No," Peter mumbled, "If he needs medical attention you'll be here."

"Of course, Peter."

The jet fell silent. Wade looked over his shoulder at him a couple of times to gauge his emotional state, but Peter remained still by Tony's side. The autopilot could take them home without Wade's assistance, but he didn't want to crowd Peter either and stayed where he was.

As happy as he was to see him back in the Spider suit looking gorgeous and powerful and exactly where he was meant to be, Wade knew when to keep his mouth shut even though it often seemed like he didn't.

It took half an hour before Tony started to stir. Peter's head lifted off the bench and stared at him, eyes wide with hope.

"Dad? Can you hear me? Tony?"

He groaned in response and Peter smiled brightly at knowing, at least, that he was conscious once more. Tony managed to open his eyes and stare at him, a hint of pain in his forced smile.

"Heya, kiddo."

"Tony!" He shifted to his knees to look at him, "How do you feel?"

"Like I got roofied," he answered honestly. His hand pressed against his aching temple and he carefully pushed himself into a seated position. He pat the spot beside him and said with a teasing smile, "Now come here and give your old man a hug."

Peter's lips were pressed tight in an attempt not to cry and Tony could tell he needed the reassurance. Without any hesitation, Peter sat next to him and wrapped his arms around his waist, forehead pressing into the side of his neck. Tony let his arms settle around his shoulders and pat his back.

"I'm okay," Peter mumbled.

"Obviously." Tony took in his surroundings. He met Stephen's gaze and nodded in greeting, and looked on to see Wade sitting behind the console, pretending to fly the jet home. He couldn't quite fill in the blanks of how he'd lost the other four Avengers only to gain three not-Avengers.

Peter drew back after a minute and smiled, "I'm glad you're okay. You are okay though, right?" He looked at Stephen, "Since he's awake, is he in the clear?"

"We're over the biggest hurdle, but keep an eye on him for the rest of the day to be safe."

"Will do!"

Tony squeezed Peter's shoulders to get his attention and smiled, "Looks like you didn't grow that half an inch like you thought. Still fits perfectly."

Peter looked down at the suit and pouted, "I totally grew."

Wade laughed from his spot at the front of the jet, "I believe you, baby boy."

"And how are you feeling, kiddo?" Tony asked softly, eyes examining his face and taking in the red in his eyes from old tears.

Peter shrugged, "A bit all over the place, to be honest."

"Want to tell me what happened?"

"Other than Petey being the sexiest Avenger ever?" Wade stopped pretending he was in control of the jet and spun his seat around to look at them.

Peter rolled his eyes, "He's biased, but anyway. They said you got caught and they couldn't follow after you, so they came back to the Tower to try and track you using Friday."

"But turns out you don't trust them with your tracker," Wade added with what they all knew was a grin beneath the mask.

Tony scowled and chose not to comment on that particular decision he'd made.

"That's not the point. They came back to the Tower without you, and I couldn't trust them to get you back. So we came on our own. Not really much else to it."

That filled in the gaps and Tony could only sigh. Peter was back in the suit because of him. Peter couldn't trust the Avengers because of him.

"What happened with you?"

"Not entirely sure." Tony looked down at his watch, "I have trackers in a lot of my clothes for this sort of situation, but they didn't even take this."

"How did they get you if you still had that with you?"

"Oh, yeah, that. I let them," Tony said with a shrug. "They were pretty harmless and I wanted to see if they'd lead us somewhere interesting. Sorry about that, Pete. I didn't mean for you to be involved."

Knowing Tony as well as he did, Peter wasn't upset by the revelation. Of course he'd put himself in danger for curiosity's sake. Maybe he was a bit biased.

"I know, it's fine. I'm just glad you're okay."

Tony placed his hand at the back of his head and pulled him close, pressing a kiss to his hair and eyes locking in behind him on Wade.

The place was supposed to be empty. They hadn't touched his things. They hadn't touched the alien weapons that could have caused them problems. People didn't like Tony Stark; especially kidnappers. They had only punched him once and it had taken a lot of antagonizing for that to happen. Things didn't add up.

A sense of understanding passed between them.

"I want you to try, Peter." He pulled back but kept his hand at his neck to keep him close, "With the other Avengers. I know you don't like them much, but I don't want that to be because of me."

"They left without you."

"And that was the right thing to do."

"So why can I use your tracker but they can't?"

"Peter-"

"I know."

"Just try, okay?"

"Fine. I can try."

"Shoulda seen him tell them off though. Da-yum."

Wade was ignored, though Tony could spot the twitch in Peter's lips as he fought a smile.

He made Peter happy, there was no denying that. He understood him, had suffered remembering the end of the world and provided support that no one else could even attempt. He also made him laugh. Before they'd met, there had been stretches of days where Peter couldn't even bring himself to smile and it broke his heart every time he tried and failed to bring him out of the pain in his own heart.

He didn't approve of his methods, but...

Every single one of his achievements meant nothing in comparison to creating a suit specifically for his child. So that he could be the hero he was born to be, with or without superpowers.

Peter wearing the Iron Spider was the pinnacle of his mind, of his career, of anything else he may accomplish in his life.

He'd kept it up to date, going back to it every few weeks when Peter was away so as not to pressure him.

It had always been a back and forth deciding whether or not he should want Peter to be Spider-Man. May didn't, but she understood why he needed it. She knew her selfless nephew the best, after all. Tony always felt selfish when he looked at the suit's programming; shouldn't he be discouraging this, not encouraging it?

Tony let his aching head fall back against the wall and closed his eyes.

"We'll be home soon," Peter told him. "I think we have some Tylenol. Can he take some?" Tony knew he was directing this to Stephen, who for whatever reason hadn't portalled himself home yet.

"That should be fine."

Peter left his side and got him painkillers and a water bottle from the jet's storage. Tony took them graciously.

There wasn't much else to say, after all that. Peter remained next to him for the duration of the flight, talking to him about school and homework as if they hadn't seen each other just that morning.

How long before he moved in with Wade, and then he'd have to feel the way May had felt when Peter had officially moved out of their apartment to live with him at the Tower. How long until they didn't see each other for days and it became normal, like with other families?

When the jet landed, Stephen stood and said, "I'll be returning to the sanctuary. Let me know if you have any concerns about his health, although at this time I can confidently say he'll be fine." This was for Peter as if Tony couldn't speak for his own well-being.

"Thanks, Dr. Strange. And thanks for helping us out, I really appreciate it."

"As long as Stark doesn't make a habit of it, I don't mind." Stephen's hands settled over his chest to create a portal home for himself, but hesitated and asked, "Would you like the cloak to stay? You seemed a bit distressed earlier."

Peter smiled, grateful for his thoughtfulness, "No, I'm alright. Thanks, though."

Stephen accepted his response and left them. He'd been there to help Peter rescue Tony and had only stayed to make sure he wouldn't overdose. From this point onward he wouldn't be needed, nor did he have any interest in dealing with the Avengers.

None of them did, really.

Tony would describe his current state as a ' _meh_ ' and was perfectly capable of walking on his own. All he needed was a bit of food and rest and he'd be fine. He'd done his fair share of experimenting; this was nothing new or unfamiliar to him. They left the jet and took the elevator back to their floor, asking Friday to send a message to the other's that he was fine and alive.

They greeted Lilo with pets and kisses and then Peter made him a sandwich from what they had lying around and forced him to eat. It was only after he'd taken a bite did they leave his side to change back into civilian clothing.

Grabbing a tablet, he sent a message off to the Avengers about what still needed to be done and then had Friday pull up the video feed of what had happened a few hours ago and was both proud and disappointed by what he saw.

There was no making Peter anything he wasn't.

He didn't blame them for leaving him; they needed the tech found at the Tower to track him. But it was nice to see Peter standing up for what he thought was right. There weren't a lot of people who would stand up for Tony Stark.

"You're not leaving that chair until you finish your sandwich," Peter said with a teasing smile. He and Wade returned with mussed hair and lips red and stretched into smiles; they were happy.

He'd designed the Iron Spider suit to be easy to transport. He'd left it in the case as a display for glamour's sake, but it could shrink down to a bracelet if needed. He spotted it now on Peter's arm, similar to the watch on his wrist.

Peter had gotten a taste of being a hero again; would he return to the suit, or would he revert to fearing it?

"Yeah, yeah, I'm working on it." Tony set aside the tablet and grabbed the other half of the sandwich, "And do we need to have a talk about cursing? I didn't know you had a secret potty mouth."

Peter's cheeks reddened and he huffed, "Whatever. Not like it was undeserved."

He snuck Lilo a piece of crust and finished the rest of his food. Peter sat beside him and Wade leaned back against the counter to watch them.

"The other's are going back to get the weapons as we promised, and we're sending some people down to get those guys we left behind."

"It's weird, isn't it? That they were there when it was meant to be empty? And they captured _you_ and didn't really do anything?" Peter looked genuinely intrigued, and Tony couldn't figure out if he'd made the connection or not.

Peter was a bright kid, but he had a knack for being a bit dense on occasion, especially when it came to people's intentions. Maybe he had suspicions, but he'd think them unfounded and would never pursue them. That was probably for the best.

"No sense looking a gift horse in the ass," Wade said with a shrug, "Worked out in the end, right?"

"That's not..." Peter didn't bother correcting him and looked to Tony who nodded in agreement.

"Probably best not to overthink it this time." Tony stood, "I've got to make a call about all this, I'll see you guys in a bit."

"But you're not going with them, are you? To get the weapons?"

"Nah. Need to take some time to ice this bad boy." Tony pointed to his eye, bruised and swollen.

"Did they punch you because you were making fun of them?" Peter asked with a look of annoyance he'd certainly learned from Pepper. Tony's grin was answer enough. "And you call me reckless."

Tony took an ice pack from the freezer and left them with a wave. Wade came around to stand behind Peter, wrapping his arms around his waist and laying his head on his shoulder.

"Hey, cutie."

Peter kissed his head and smiled, "Hi. Looks like you had a good day."

"The only way it could be better is if we had tacos for dinner."

Peter laughed and shook his head in amusement, "What if we took this to the bedroom? Would that make it any better?"

"Fuck yes."

After so many months there was little grace to their movements. They made their way to the bedroom and hurried out of their clothes and fell into bed in a tangle of limbs. They kissed and laughed, running off the last shreds of adrenaline from their earlier battle and the ever-present attraction between them.

While straddling his lap, keeping Wade pressed against him with his arms wrapped around his shoulder, he pulled back from a heated kiss to catch him with a hard look.

"Before we get completely distracted-"

"Speak for yourself, Mr. Multitasker."

"If you ever put Tony, or yourself, or anyone, in danger to trick me into doing something you think is right for me, I _will_ break up with you. Got it?" His hands slipped down to his shoulders and he squeezed to incite him not to look away.

Wade was silent for a stretch and then nodded jerkily once. "He wasn't supposed to get hurt."

"I know you didn't mean any harm from it, but no more tricks. Promise me."

His hand left Peter's waist and he curled his fingers next to the metal bracelet on his wrist.

Sensing his thoughts, Peter added, "There was a better way to go about this. I've been treated like the naive kid my whole life and I want you to respect me more than that."

"I'm sorry-"

"You're not," Peter said softly. Wade looked away, frowning. "But that's okay, too. I love you, and that includes the parts that might drive me a little bit insane. Trust me, I've done my fair share of things that I thought, and still think, were the right things to do and other's didn't agree with me. Don't pretend you feel a certain way; it's fine that we disagree on certain things. All I want is a promise that you won't do it again. Being Spider-Man should have been my choice. What you gave me today was the illusion of choice, because we both know I could never have chosen differently."

"I think I get it."

"Thank you."

"I promise not to do it again. Even if you looked crazy sexy in the suit." Wade grinned.

"I suppose I'll take that as a victory. Alright, time to show me just how much you appreciated the new suit."

"Now _that_ I can handle." Wade let go of his wrist and moved his hand to the back of his head, curling his fingers into his hair and smoothly rolling them over to finish what they'd started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think just one more chapter to go, more of a finale piece than anything. I'm not yet super sure what I'm going to do with it.
> 
> So. Peter having higher level access than the other's is one of my favourite tropes (that's not really a trope, just a headcanon).
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chappie!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter for you guys! I hope you enjoyed this story :)

"I have school tomorrow until 6, but I think when I get back here I'd like to go on patrol," Peter said, fingers playing with the bracelet containing his suit. "Nothing big. Just rescuing cats and helping old ladies."

It had been a few days since rescuing Tony, and in that time Peter had kept quiet about it. About wearing the suit. Now they were in his bed at the Tower, cuddling and chatting. The room was lit by his old nightlights which had slowly been dimming in the past several weeks.

"I'm down for that." He squeezed his waist.

"I'm not okay, not completely, but I think I can do it. I want to do it. I miss being a hero." He elbowed Wade before he could say the cheesy line he'd opened his mouth to say, "Don't even say it. You know what I mean."

He laughed softly, "Yeah, yeah."

The day after wearing the suit for the first time in two years, Peter hadn't been okay. He'd woken from a night terror, not as intense as they used to be but still as unpleasant, and hadn't been up for much talking. Wade had seen his moments of dissociation but hadn't so far experienced Peter flat out refusing to speak, and Tony had helped him understand what was happening as best as he could.

"What about you?" Peter asked.

"Me?"

"Yeah. I know it hasn't been easy for you either. Does being in the suit make it worse?"

"Oh. Not really. But I never thought of me and Deadpool as two different people; the suit's mostly just so I don't have to wash blood off my clothes."

Peter's nose scrunched in disgust, but he didn't say anything to that.

"And I can't exactly stop doing what I do when I have rent to pay."

"Suppose that's true."

"I'm also really great at repressing things. Like, almost as good as Stark."

"... Should I make you an appointment with my therapist?"

He still saw her once a week. She was proud of his progress, nearly as proud as he was. Not as often as before, but he and Tony would still step out to the roof to watch the stars and it hardly caused him anxiety anymore. When sleeping at Wade's, they'd sometimes forget to turn on the lamp and he occasionally didn't notice its absence.

"Think she'd end up needing her own therapist."

"You'll come with me, then? Tomorrow?"

"Of course! Wouldn't miss seeing you in that suit."

"Good." Peter pressed a kiss to his shoulder, "I need to get used to being Spider-Man again. I don't want you or Tony to go without backup anymore. I know I can't always be there with you, you have your own missions all over the place, but if I _can_ be there, then I should be."

"Tony has the Avengers, and I can't die. Don't force yourself to do this for us. We're fine."

"Just because we've been working on things, doesn't mean I trust them to take care of Tony."

After cursing out the Avengers, Tony had insisted on fixing the strained relationship between them as he'd apparently taken it upon himself to make Peter like them. They'd been having group dinners and training sessions whenever possible. It wasn't that he didn't like them, per se. He couldn't trust them.

Tony was family, he was the father he didn't have for most of his life; anything they did to him he took as a personal offense. But being perfectly honest, it wouldn't affect him as much if they'd done those things to him instead.

"As for you, well..." Peter placed his hand on his cheek, thumb stroking below his bottom lip gently, "Just because you can't die doesn't mean you can't be hurt. If there's anything I can do to protect you and I don't do it, then I'm pretty sure that would make me a horrible boyfriend."

"You're the best boyfriend," Wade said in his defense. "But if you feel like you're ready for this, then I'm so down. The Avengers are nothing without Spider-Man."

Peter could only laugh.

The next day, after returning from school, he spoke to Tony privately without Wade around to add his unhelpful commentary. He loved him, dearly, but sometimes he couldn't bring himself down to earth long enough for a serious conversation and it drove him a little mad.

"I'm going to head out on patrol for a little while with Wade. I just fed Lilo, she should be fine until we get back."

When he'd first gotten Lilo as his service dog, he hadn't been able to leave her side. And Tony and May's. He was finally regaining some of his independence and it was like learning how to breathe all over again.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You were a bit... off, last time."

"I know. But you gotta start somewhere, right? Two years ago I couldn't even leave this building."

"You still wearing the watch?"

Peter pulled back his left sleeve to show the watch that served as a monitor, "Of course. This is going to be simple stuff. I'm not throwing myself into anything I'm not ready for."

"Alright. Just - be careful, alright? And if you need me, give me a call. No matter how late it is."

"I know, I know, but-"

"And if you say, ' _when am I not careful?_ ', I'm going to make a one hundred page PowerPoint to show at your wedding. Don't test me."

"Yes, dad." Peter rolled his eyes.

"Alright, go on then. Make sure you get some food in you before you leave."

"Yes, _dad_."

That tone of annoyance was usually an indication he was being a bit overprotective, but he couldn't care when Peter was calling him 'dad' like it was completely normal. It was coming out more and more often; 'Tony' replacing 'Mr. Stark' and then 'dad' replacing 'Tony'. It made his heart melt in the most sentimental way possible.

Pepper and Rhodey found it equally hilarious and adorable.

Peter left him with promises of grabbing some dinner while he was out. He met Wade at his apartment, both of them in their suits and ready to fight petty crime.

If they came across anything bigger, he vowed to himself that he'd either notify the police or Tony, depending on the situation.

He remembered the papers that had come out two years ago. Some positive, some negative.

' _Where is Spider-Man?_ '

' _Good riddance to Spider-Man!_ '

Would the people want him back? He didn't know, but Wade was on his side and he focused on the genuine gratitude given to him from people he'd helped, even for the small things.

Thanos had taken so many things; half the universe, Peter's mental health. He didn't get to keep Spider-Man, not forever.

Not much happened, in retrospect, but it was an amazing night.

The suit was a before-the-end-of-the-world thing, and Wade was an after-the-end-of-the-world thing; together, the world itself was easier to face. He made jokes and made light of anything they came across, insisted on snack breaks and stopping to talk. Not about their feelings, necessarily, but about whatever was on their minds.

At the end of the day, it wasn't about being a superhero. It was about doing the right thing.

"Can we do this again tomorrow?" Peter asked once they were back home. They'd washed up and were lazing in front of the couch, _Zootopia_ playing on the TV. Wade's arm rested around his shoulders and he entwined their fingers over his chest.

"Whatever you want, baby boy."

"But do you want to?" If asked, Wade would claim to be selfish. Peter knew this wasn't the case. Not always.

"Of course I want to. I want to be wherever you are."

"Have I told you how much I love you today?"

Wade hummed and pretended to think, "I don't remember. You might have to say it again."

Peter laughed, "I love you more than... cheese."

"Today's cheese? I am moving up in the world!" He pulled Peter close to press a wet kiss to his cheek, making an obnoxious smacking sound. He kissed him over and over, making him laugh and pretend to pull away.

"I change my mind, I change my mind! You're so gross." Peter covered his face with one hand and pushed him back, using the other to wipe the saliva off his cheek.

At that moment, after several hours in the lab, Tony finally made his way up for bed and simply shook his head at them. He was used to it.

"Get to bed! You have school tomorrow," he reminded Peter before slipping through the living room and into the hall where he'd find his bedroom.

"Yes, dad!" Peter called out after him, grumbling quietly but seeming in agreement as he pulled Wade off the couch. "Bed?"

"I can go for some snoozing."

They completed their night time routine and curled together under the blankets. His room was a disaster; their clothes thrown all over, Wade's weapons in various states of cleanliness cluttering the floor and Peter's projects and homework overflowing any available surface. Friday turned on the night lights, dim projections of the Avengers floating across the walls.

"You should add you in there." Wade pointed to the lights on the ceiling.

"Mm. Actually, I was thinking tonight we go without. Friday? Turn off the lights," he ordered and they flickered off in response. "I got all the hero I need right here," Peter teased, patting Wade's cheek affectionately. His eyes grew used to the dark, latching onto his boyfriend's face and taking comfort from his warmth next to him and Lilo's presence in her own bed a couple of feet away.

Wade whispered, "All the cheese, so much _cheeeeese_."

Peter kissed him quiet.

The sky was dark and the stars were hard to see in the midst of the bright city lights, but they were there out in the universe; along with billions of lives that had been given second chances. For now, in this room with the man he loved, his mind was quiet and so was his heart.

Two years ago, he'd been a stowaway on a spaceship flying off to a far off planet to help his mentor and a stranger and to take part in a battle he was definitely not prepared for. They had lost and his body had been torn to shreds, broken into ashes, and locked in darkness until they were saved by Tony Stark and his band of renegades.

Peter Parker remembered the end of the world so that no one else had to.

If asked, he'd say he'd make that sacrifice again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end! Please let me know your thoughts on the overall story, I'd really love to hear anything you'd like to share!
> 
> Normally I have an idea about how I'd like to end my stories, but for this one, it doesn't really end on one fixed point. I ultimately wanted to end with Peter's return to the suit; he's still healing, he's not perfect, but Spider-Man is back and I think that was the right place to finish this off :)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I'm loving writing this and the feedback from the first part of the series has meant the world. I'm finding this pretty therapeutic with all the trailers coming out and anxiously awaiting April 26th.
> 
> Please leave a comment with your thoughts! I'd love to hear from you :)


End file.
